Journal of a Wanderer
by PaganWanderer
Summary: This is a tale of someone who doesn't know who or even what they are, but has a sense of wanting to travel the stars. (This is essentially my log of what I have discovered and in the character's POV)
1. Prelude: There was Fire and A Voice

Prologue: There Was Fire…and a Voice

There was a cacophony of noise around them. The fire that seemed everywhere and raging through the ship, the alarms blaring causing instant pain in the head. There was rushing into a small cruiser and maybe others were there? After there was fear suffocating the being and the feeling of being tossed around in a cockpit after departing the main starship, its own sirens now going off, loud but not to the degree as before. The last thing they know is it sounds like someone is screaming a word that should be recognized and then nothing but blackness.


	2. The World of Perpetual Sundown

Heya this is a quick author's note. ' ' is the character thinking. " " is from the game verbatim. bold is for any alien language whether or not I've discovered the meaning of. My tumblr is Paganwanderer072 has this post but also pictures if you're interested.

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Chapter One: The World of Perpetual Sundown

The first thing they noticed was a mechanical voice listing off…Systems that were offline. Then came the sensation of laying down on pretty hard ground. This caused brief confusion. Had they not been in a ship? The first thing that greeted their open eyes was a pink sky with white clouds that didn't appear to hold any rain. There was also…particles floating in the air.

They got up slowly and the computer was still informing them what was working and what was damaged. They briefly checked the mining tool they had in hand and caught sight of their ship. Looking a bit beaten but potentially space worthy still. A strange noise sounded to their left and it startled them to face whatever caused it and they saw a small little quadruped bound into a red bush.

They went to the ship and noted that all the propulsion systems were busted and drained of any fuel. A brief panic at the thought it was irreparable but then in their mind the calming knowledge to fix them was present. As they scavenged for materials in the cargo crates they suddenly had the realization that barring the past few minutes…they recalled nothing. This…isn't right. They did not know how they knew it was wrong but the conviction was there. Maybe their head is hollow? Or they are a machine? Looking down they saw their exosuit.

Slim on the legs and a bit bulkier on the torso. They held their breath till it felt they couldn't and inhaled a gasp. So…they needed Oxygen so maybe not a robot? The thought briefly ran through their mind 'what's underneath that?' and the response was a gut-clenching 'That would be death' resounded through their mind. So taking the suit off was out; they shrugged. They were alive now and this was their reality.

So unless hunger or thirst makes that impossible they wouldn't dwell. The first thing they needed was fuel to keep the life support and their tool online, then repairing the Launch thrusters which required four Carite Sheets and that could be constructed from Iron. The Stars were favorable because there was four dark red spirals of Plutonium crystals just off the crash site and their mining beam harvested it with ease.

They started taking note of how the planets flora was. A strange version of arid plants. At least that's what their mind said. No personal memories or even what kind of species they are or even who but by a Nova they know these plants look arid acclimated…Their headache feels worse.

'There's a term for that kind of thinking but of course I don't remember' was all they said in reply to itself. 'Focus' they reminded. Looking for iron was an easy task and making the Carite Sheets was easy to do and then fitting them on the ship took time but was a simple endeavor. Though simplicity meant their mind could wander to the feeling of a gaping hole where 'Memory' was and feeling irritation at the blank they kept drawing. After that repair they fixed their scanner and analysis visor so finding materials would not be looking without a guide.

After charging their equipment they were low on Plutonium and then since they also needed Heridium, Zinc and Thamium9 to power the Pulse Drive besides Carite sheets they set off going north. Cataloguing minerals, Flora and the occasional creature along the way.

The world could be called beautiful. It did not tax their suit because the temperature was 10.1 C which for a planet is not something to complain of. There was minimal radiation and toxicity and for once since they woke up considered themselves lucky. The name of this world was called Viceriasi Abbe. The vegetation was reminiscent of cacti but these were not only much, much taller they were a consistent red and twisted in appearance. Most of the shrubbery was a bright green or red with the occasional baby blue flowers that were quite striking. As time went on and they accumulated iron and plutonium near the ship they noticed that the sol was not lengthening. The Sun stayed on the horizon and appeared to not move making it appear always sunset. Which…probably made it seem even more beautiful.

They kept finding these pillars of stone, that when touched they learned an alien word. It was not their language they knew that. Course that only put the question 'What was the language they knew?' again there is nothing in their mind to explain it. They were also finding blueprints to further improve their equipment but the ship repairs came first. Zinc was easier to find because it was housed in this plant their scanner dubbed "Yargolus Acrantoreum" and it was found fairly plentiful. Along with Titanium which if they ever found a trader if there were traders would sell fairly well. Thamium9 was more of a rare find. The plant that made the compound were few and far between but that didn't deter them. As they roamed they came across a drop pod in an area called "Nimutt Lowlands" they got more space in their suit to carry items and was thankful for it. They continued on.

The Heridium was a square outcropping of rock that was a dark blue and was packed with the element. After finding a beacon, empty shelters and more Knowledge Stones they decide to head back to the ship to repair the pulse drive. This took longer to fix but since 'day' never truly ends they had all the light to work with. They had to charge their life support several times and that was the only real marker of time passing for them. After that repair they felt the itch to get in and take off but they decided to check a nearby cave and was rewarded by the amount of Plutonium there.

Taking off was an easy affair and they started to scan the ground for any other signs of life. Surely they were not the only ones here? The little bots that roamed around were disturbing to them and one had attacked them after they found a rich area of plutonium. Which hurt, and contributed to a decrease in mood. They obtained Iron from destroying it and fled when others started to fly in…annoying. A huge metal plaque stood stark against a mountainside and curiosity was piqued. They landed their ship nearby in case the statue proved dangerous. Their mind supplied it was Korvax 'how they knew, none can say.' After touching the knowledge stones around it they approached the plaque. What they encountered was not pleasant.

"I feel faint, as if my mind is being invaded. Pustules on my skin grow, bubble and pop-and I feel countless tiny stabbing from each gaping hole. Suddenly metal spiders, run up my shoulder and into my visor. Can this be real? This CANNOT be real. I start to scream." They waited it out. Firing their weapon would harm them. Taking off the suit is instant death. Something…felt pleased and as suddenly as it happened they were gone. They also got more understanding in Korvax. It was a while before the trembling stopped.

The last goal they wished to do on this world before departure would be cataloging the fauna here. It was this objective that took the longest time. Sols passed. In the meanwhile they found out that some shelters had beacons that could show you places of interest. The first they tried was an outpost to sell material for they had collected a good portion. The first being they encountered was Korvax…which looked robotic in a way they felt 'they' were not. Their name was Oslobn and they were running low on energy it seemed. They gave some extra Thamium9 they were going to sell and Oslobn bounced right back and seemed very grateful. Their reward was blueprints for a hyper drive, which required more technical items to be made. The Dynamic Resonator had to be bought. Thankfully their surplus of Heridium, Zinc, Platinum, and Titanium gave them more than enough. They also were able to afford a new multi tool that had more slots for upgrades. As Sols passed they learned that this planet had a huge amount of gold readily available and that is when the Units started to flow to them. They traversed caves, mountains, deserts, fields, even continents away trying to complete the bestiary.

They learned more Korvax both the language and the race as there were ruins that housed remnants of the beings past. The sol where they found the last species was balmy for the planet. They had been there for a while. 16 sols? Maybe a few more? They had bought a new ship, one that was quicker, and had a bit more space. It was…surprisingly hard to abandon their old ship. The one constant in their life besides themselves and the ground which they stood on. After the transaction and transference of materials to the new ship, they found themselves by their old ship with their hand on the bow. The name had changed and read "Anturli." Their eyes felt the burn of tears but they had already stayed plenty here. With a deep breath they turned around and took off into the horizon.

There was no reason to stay and this system had four other decent sized planets to discover. As they braced themselves to go into space their eyes caught a shape of a monolith…unlike the others they have seen. Before they changed their mind they landed next to it and approached. It was shaped like an octahedron. The pedestal identified it as "Legacy of Iglessusc-Wiar" They approached the monolith and the words of the Korvax resounded in their mind. " **Past ine dead**. **Futekumskyviump impossible**. I see a strange vision. Blue light pours from the monolith as if a curtain has been dropped within. I hear a gentle hubbub of voices, and catch a familiar smell on the breeze. I cannot remember my home, but I know that this is a doorway that leads there. I ache for a past I cannot remember. Every inch of my soul wants to make the leap back. I look to the skies, and the infinity beyond. Can I truly abandon my journey, when it's only just begun?" They resist the temptation which the monolith approves. They try to ingrain the faint memory if only as a placeholder for their old ones. This however gave them a resolve they did not have till now. Perhaps they know nothing of themselves and how their mind works at times, but a journey always allows the possibility of finding 'them', of finding who they were, the memories and those things were NOT here. With that thought in heart they hopped into their ship and pointed the bow toward the stars.


	3. The Flipside of Paradise

Heya folks! I took a bit of an author's out and made the Space Station more...like a station than a simple transport. Spellings from this game is so weird. Any questions let me know.

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Seeing space after leaving Viceriasi Abbe's atmosphere was rather beautiful and though they 'knew' they had memories of being in space before it was nice to have fresh sights. The planetary system was called Eatkomstehan. As stated in their database there were four other planets in this system to discover and explore. There were three planets that were relatively close with the other two off on either side. Since they had seen the closest planets in Viceriasi's sky they decided that they wanted to go to one of those planets first.

Movement caught their attention and the long range scanner informed them there was a space station by one of the planets; the bigger of the trio and they started their way toward the station; curious if it was Korvax in build or another race they had not yet encountered. They engaged the pulse drive to ensure an expedient arrival. It would have taken three hours on the thrusters and that thought brought a sour taste in the mouth. A few minutes using a pulse jump was much more efficient of time.

There were far more spacecraft in the vicinity due to the station no doubt. Probably to refuel and gather supplies. They kept a wary eye however because while most seemed like trading frigates they were not interesting in being accosted by space thieves. They briefly entertained the thought of the put out faces the would-be thieves would have when they realized that 'they' didn't have much. Some fuel in case a planet didn't have any or the gold they thought to bring along in case a upgrade called for its use. The thought caused a bit of confusion.

What they had imagined the thieves they were not Korvax…Their people perhaps? The flash of the image had already faded and irritation was hot on its heels. They did not know how mental things worked for their kind anymore if they ever did but there was a feeling that whatever 'they' had, it was not supposed to work like this. 'Could it have been deliberate?' this thought was not pleasant. What could any being want with their memories? Was their past so terrible that removing them prevented stagnation? Was it to be a fresh start from whatever they had before? Questions with no answers is all they had. They forced themselves to take a deep breath, becoming panicked was a way to get oneself killed. No matter where one was at.

The station was in sight and they kicked the pulse drive offline before the chance of colliding with it became certain. It would be hard to miss being that it was a huge pyramid shape lump of metal that was a stark red in the blackness of space. Korvax writing was on the side and a part of themselves was relieved that it was because the language bits they knew were Korvax, but there was disappointment at not seeing another race. Perhaps that didn't matter? Surely there were more than just Korvax present in the station.

Entry was an amusing affair due to the fact that in space what was deemed 'upside down' is personally relative. The plane of the galaxy in known but that was it. There had to be guidance systems incorporated into their Korvax Ship because suddenly they weren't in control and did an impressive vertical rotation into the landing pad provided. They shook their head from the vertigo before disembarking. It seemed ships were constantly docking and leaving. The noise from all the activity was nice in a way it was a comfort of not being alone. Especially since solitude is mostly what their journey has been thus far.

There were rooms to rack out and plenty of trade opportunities. A good portion of the base required this Atlas Pass which they had not a clue what that even was but the other areas access was granted. They had sold all the trade items on Viceriasi before departing, but perhaps after being on the planet this station orbited and gathering materials they could come back to trade. They noticed that while most beings were Korvax there were a couple of another race that…did not look the most pleasant. With no goods to sell and the fact they doubted idle chatter would be constructive they got back into their ship and set course for the planet.

Being launched at such a rate from the station was rather fun and brought a lightness of the heart that they enjoyed. The atmosphere of this new planet was far thicker than Viceriasi Abbe and when they broke through they were taken aback by what they saw.

The ground did not seem to be able to decide if it wanted to be a bright red or a putrid looking yellow. There were no bodies of water by the looks of it and there were vents poring thick plumes of yellow smoke into the air that matched the ground. The sky was a similar color to the ground with Viceriasi Abbe looming close in the sky. Far too close to be a simple moon. Their scanner picked up a drop box in range and they made a point to land there. On the ground they were able to take better note of the bizarre things living on this planet. First thing they noticed right off was this planet was radioactive. This…would be difficult if they could not find any zinc or titanium to power their protection shields from the radiation. The flora seemed more like a creature with moving…tendrils? Tentacles? Frankly they didn't care they were staying far away from any of it.

The tree like plants were tall and had rather twisted white branches with a broad leaf attached alongside the whole of the branch. There was some grass like analog that was green and plenty of fungal looking entities. The rock formations were strange and outlandish with some rock floating above the planet's surface. All in all it was completely opposite to their first planet and again they thanked whatever power that be that they landed on Viceriasi Abbe first rather than this one.

The first thing they encountered besides the non-predator types of wildlife that occupied this planet was an abandoned…base? They felt an uneasiness and while caution urged to move on, the radiation had taken its toll on their shielding and they had not yet encountered any oxide to charge it. The first thing they saw besides that the base was destroyed was strange…living masses that was a toxic green color and decorated the walls and…it moved like it breathed and it felt as if their gut went down into their boots. There was a control panel that had…teeth along with the twisted mass and they felt that if they had ingested something prior it would have left them involuntarily. Though that brought the thought of how vomit could be cleaned if one couldn't remove their suit…no matter this was all cowardly conjecture to distract them from…this thing.

They touched the control panel and a hallucination seemed to result. "I glimpsed the crimson orb between the clouds. A vast and baleful eye, unblinking and monstrous. Fear turned the blood in my veins to ice. I was so afraid it would see me, but then the clouds moved and it was gone. I was no longer certain if it had ever been real. Perhaps the fungal deposits from this world are clogging my exosuit vents. Affecting my cognition somehow. I have cleaned my filters six times now. But I still feel it inside me." When they had awoke from this they had slumped to the farthest wall from the pedestal. They got new technology for upgrades but they did not feel it was worth the fear that seemed to settle in their bones.

Blood…and Bones. This was what was in them. The knowledge there now was when it had not been able to be brought forth until now. So they certainly were not Korvax. They were clearly mechanical in nature and 'they' were organic. But what were they? The Korvax traders they have traded with termed them 'Traveler' which was poetic, but not helpful to their mental plight. That did not recall any former memories they knew of.

Taking another cautious look around the building they left. Radiation be damned.

Thankfully there was another plant that supplied Zinc and a small portion went a long way for recharging their suits defenses. They found a place called "Noico Moor" and they were starting to notice a pattern in the naming of areas on this world. First off the planet was called Ermoti Jeongl which was strange but this whole world has proven strange. Secondly most points of interest if they were not alien markers was named with the words swamp, moor, marsh or wetlands when there were in fact no water that they have found.

Vexing to someone who appreciated apt terms rather than made up ones but who were they to complain? This world had a plethora of copper and some of the upgrades for their multi-tool and a shield upgrade for their ship was made possible. Though the amount of Heridium needed was rather high as well. The next set of upgrades they wanted needed aluminum and it was not going to be found here. Emeril was also present on this planet and provided a good amount of Units whenever they found themselves completely full of trade goods and had found an outpost. They wanted to start upgrading their ships fire was a fighter class and was already had some but they had better blueprints and while the fauna on this irradiated planet were docile that 'luck' will only last so long. This included their tool. But their mining beam already sported a combat amplifier omega. They needed a coolant system for it because it overheated far too easily…and it was annoying when harvesting Emeril deposits.

Cataloging the fauna was far simple task than Viceriasi Abbe. Maybe only five sols had passed? They all had congregated in a valley and made for easy Units earned. They went to more plaques and monoliths and continued to learn more about the Korvax. Though now they were getting slivers of knowledge about how this galaxy worked. Like how the sentinels where placed to prevent unneeded destruction on any planet and they appreciated the ideal behind that. Those choked by greed needed to be kept in check. Also how the Korvax went through these generation cycles…it was hard to describe the ruin gave them mental images of what happened…not a how or why.

Speaking of monoliths and their increasingly apparent…eccentricity. There was one that fell more into the bizarre category than most of them. "The Tribute to Mixtikdh-Supr. **Korvax echoes bless zenam language. Ort zay roshary.** I'm trying to read the ancient glyphs when a liquid metal lasso emerges and wraps itself around my helmet. It freezes in place, before pulling my head into contact with the glow of the monolith. The ancient stone is warm, and deep inside I hear the hum of an arcane technology as it prepares to unleash itself. I look up back to the glyphs to try to guess why this might be happening. They talk to me in an alien tongue." They figured since they gathered that the echoes were seemingly 'nice' and that they recognized the word bless they decided to wait out whatever was going to happen. They found themselves released with more words learned. Also a word in Atlas. Galaxy.

They stepped back from the stone giving their mind a moment to steady. Atlas was a word that kept popping up. There was an atlas pass needed to get into areas. There was apparently a language of Atlas if this word was anything to go by. What was this Atlas? It felt…old. Older than anything alien they had encountered prior. There was a sense that the word Atlas held a meaning that they had forgotten…and that was…very vexing. They found themselves yelling out into the wilderness the cry not as strong due to being unused but the aggravation was present in the sound. It helped quell the sudden anger at themselves but not completely. They felt so tired…wait. They felt tired. This was surprising since it had literally been sols that had passed and there was a notion that rest was needed every sol. Why they did not know but they did.

This brought up a rather pressing question to how they were going to sleep. Sleeping with the suit was possible…but probably not the most comfortable. Sleeping in the ship also did not appeal to them. At that thought they wondered about the space station. There were beds there they had saw that when they briefly explored the station. There was nothing really on this planet holding them here. Any upgrades that needed copper was made and they had some stored on the ship. At that thought they hiked back to "Mononn Plains" to retrieve their ship to head back to the station.

By the time they got to the station their eyes felt particularly heavy and they were thankful they had decided to go to Ermoti Jeongl instead of a planet further away. Paying for the room was easy and it was done with the door panel next to the room. It was small; there was a bed and some first aid and maybe a food replicator and a small table and chair and that was it. They had a window that looked into the stars and they found that pleasing. They thought about removing their suit since the station had an adequate atmosphere they could breathe but in the end they couldn't. They removed their pack because the last thing they wanted was a sore torso and they didn't know what lay underneath their suit. It would be a simple matter to find out but the courage to do so never came. They laid down and were out before their head hit the headrest.

'Morning' if one could call it that since the station stayed in place and as a result the 'sun' never moves was rather uneventful. They were able to remove a portion of their visor to eat and hydrate and for the record this space food…was nutritious, but not tasty. Pulling up a seat in the commons area which was buzzing with Korvax, and a couple of...Gek? They started going through their data and which planet they would visit next. The closest would be the last of the Trio of planets called Agodstovenis. Then there was Uttondi-Greev Ouzary which was on the other side of the trio closest to Ermoti Jeongl or the planet on the far opposite of Uttondi with more distance separating it from the inner trio of planets was Reskokortiskau. 'Bless you' they thought at the mental thought of pronouncing that. They snorted at themselves.

They figured that the easiest way to go to the planets was start with Uttondi find what was valuable and the everlasting quest of cataloging fauna and materials present then go to the far off planet Reskokortiskau and then finish with Agodstovenis so they can do final preparations of their first warp at this space station. This is provided of course that the planets were not supremely dangerous. They gave a brief nod to themselves and after collecting their things and selling a good portion of Emeril to the station for Units they hopped into their ship and imputed the coordinates to Uttondi after launch.


	4. The Stone Labyrinth of Suck

Chapter 3: The Stone Labyrinth of Suck

They supposed the stars favored them somewhat because this star system had its planets relatively close to each other. Uttondi-Greev Ouzary was a bit further out than the trio of planets in the center but still felt like a metaphorical 'hop' away. The pulse drive would ensure a quick arrival. The first thing they noted as they were entering the atmosphere was the fact that this planet had clear canyons and what appeared to be actual water flowing through them. This was not a particular fun discovery because if this planet housed life then there would be fish and their ilk…they hated water. The thought made them pause. They wondered what experience prior made it to where they disliked it.

Yet again another preference and no explanation why they felt that way. 'It could be something I have never liked' they mused to themselves. Without memories it was impossible to say either way. Then concerns of whether their suit could even be submerged went briefly through their head. The suit was not ridiculously heavy but there was a heft to it. They did not want to sink under the water and drown as a result of the suit's heaviness. That would have to be explored in time. 'If it can handle extreme temperature and radioactivity something like being submerged in water did not seem a problem' they mused.

Something white caught their attention on the planet's surface. It appeared to be a trading hub with various Korvax ships docking and launching from the structure. Since they wished to make a few more warp cells to power their warp drive they resolved to land to see if any antimatter could be purchased. The only thing that they could not purchase yet would be a high class ship with the amount of Units they had amassed. Unfortunately, the depot had no antimatter to sell and after checking a dozen of ships to see if they carried any, they did not. They took off to find an area to land properly on the ground to get a better feel of this planet.

They landed next to a drop box and upgraded their suit before looking around. This planet seemed to be an amalgamation of different biomes. The first thing is there were similar cacti flora like on Viceriasi Abbe and they wondered what planet had affected the other, if they had at all? These cacti were greener than and perhaps not as tall as Viceriasi's but still towered over them. The ground was a dark brown though they had seen goldenrod colored sand in parts of the canyons and ringing around the aquatic areas. The water itself was crystal clear and they could see from their vantage point above this lake that they could see the bottom…that was rather far down. The water casted everything living in it with a green tint and while they, personally did not seem to care for it another person might think it beautiful. The sky was a bright green with yellow clouds that did appear rather storm capable. They hoped that was not the case.

There was a heavy thud that jarred them from their musing. They whipped themselves around and a shaky exhale escaped them. The creature was easily twice their size and had…a lot of teeth. They switched to their boltcaster and pointed it at the creature waiting to see if it would charge. The creature gave them a brief look and with clear disinterest started to eat the cactus they had been staring at prior. They activated their visor and it confirmed it was just an herbivore. Just that it was of a size they had not seen before. It was bright yellow; like the sand of this world and had a snout with a horn coming off just before… its nose? It also had six legs and as it shifted its weight it caused more vibrations to run through them.

They switched their tool back to its mining beam and proceeded toward a valley that read all sorts of life running around. They cataloged most of the terrestrial creatures from that place alone though after a brief check to their data base…there was a lot more to find. More so than the other two planets. They blamed the water again.

The good news was they were able to swim in the water and they could be fairly mobile. The bad news is if they needed oxygen they had to power up their jetpack to help them fill the oxygen tank again. They had found a couple of entries because this planet did carry fish. They would also like to say that the fish were quite tasty when cooked. Another thing this planet had that the other two did not was crazy weather. One moment it was a comfortable 10.1 C then the next it could be a heat storm at 78.8 C or a blizzard that was -90 C. At one point it seemed as if the two kinds of weather happened at the same time but they thought that maybe their suit had its readings off. Either way it was not predictable at all. It was also frequent for these freak storms which caused them to stay close to their ship to remain safe.

When there was a break in between storms was when they found that this planet had small deposits of Aluminum and since there were upgrades to be made they gladly harvested it for their purposes. They also found themselves surprised at their physical capacity. This world was mountainous in a way the others just weren't, but with use of the jetpack they had climbed all manner of rocky terrain. Crossed gaps where if they had not judged the distance just so then they would have died. A certain instance was where they had jetted across most of this deep canyon only for the jetpack to sputter out and they climbed the rock face with a practiced ease that spoke of experience. Even if they did not recall it. There was not a lot of advanced life on this planet. The buildings they had encountered had either been left to rot or…those disturbing buildings that had the green masses of…whatever it was. One of those buildings held some information that they did not know they had wanted…just not the way it was obtained.

They had accessed the entwined terminal and it was another Traveler's log. It made for gruesome reading but they wanted to chronicle it here because…no one might find this again. This was not their log for clarification. "Is this what we become? At each turn on my journey I find only more to taint my spirit and my flesh. The fanged maws erupt around me when my back is turned. I hear them chattering and spitting. Sometimes they scream sounds that may be words. Perhaps my name. I haven't removed my exosuit in many cycles. I'm afraid to look at my own skin. I know it will be seething, pus-wet and pitted. I have become a vector of infection. The corruption of something ruinous lives in my flesh. Don't come looking for me." They felt a myriad of emotions at this. The first was a kind of sadness. This being had no one and they had met their end…in what seemed a horrific way to die. The other thing was there was relief. They were not the only 'Traveler' around. There were others like them and that…gave them hope. They did not mind solitude but it was still comforting to know that among the stars of this galaxy 'they' were not alone. The thought that they might be the last of their kind had surfaced more than once in the late hours when wandering around a world.

Course there was a chance they were the only two but that didn't feel right. This was later confirmed by another log found in an eerily similar way. Another abandoned building, another unpleasant message. "I awoke from a dream where I was drowning in something thick and glutinous. It filled my pores and suffocated me. I want to believe that this is my tired mind playing tricks. I have been so long without deep sleep. The crimson sphere shimmers at the corner of my eye whenever I try to rest. I cannot comprehend how it tracks my spoor from world to world. Or is it that I am following it? The orb cannot be in all places at once. That cannot be." This made them wonder if the 'Eye' they recalled from that hallucination they had and wondered if it was the same thing.

It seemed these Travelers were experiencing terrible nightmares. Something they had not experienced. They wondered if their lack of memories was the difference. These beings seemed just as capable as them. Though something was clearly targeting them. But what? The thought that there was an entity all watching and meddling with them all was gut turning.

They shook their head to dislodge their thoughts. If only it were that easy to do so. The next couple of Sols after those logs their luck had run out of a certain kind. They had been scanning some flora for data when something charged them and bit deeply into their leg. A hoarse shout and a flurry of Caster bullets later had the predator dead at their feet. It wasn't that large a mammal but their leg still throbbed in pain. There was a moment of panic to see if their suit was punctured but it looked like their shield had kept them safe. They became more wary and it was a good thing. The seemingly overall ratio between indifferent creatures to predators that wished to eat them was clearly in favor of the predators. Thankfully none of these predators were large. Maybe reaching the middle of them in height?

A few more Sols after that there was another incident. This one involving a fear they did not know they had till it was staring them in their visor. The world due to water erosion had many, many cave systems that was rather expansive. They had also learned that it was a good place to find Plutonium and Emeril by the ship full. They had a hard time resisting such a temptation. And it bit their back. They had landed their ship at "Zelyic Plains" which was a simple shelter with a signal locator. They had travelled to the lake to the south of the plains again trying to find the last two ELUSIVE creatures that were obviously rare or taking delight in their frustration in finding them. Many times they had to convince themselves to not give up. Not a chance in the galaxy. Stubborn is what their mind said that mentality was. They shrugged at the term; it wasn't wrong.

Anyway after combing through the lake and the a good portion of the plains south of said lake they were quite far from their ship…very far and with the weather as unpredictable as it was this caused concern. They must have forgotten that detail due to the irritating hunt they were partaking in. They found a cave system that seemed to head in that direction back to the north and since the caves they had encountered before had always been a shortcut they were willing to tread forth. Mistake #1. Another reason was their scanner was picking up huge amounts of plutonium and Emeril and the sentinels never ventured underground. They turned their visors light on to illuminate their way and switched their tool to the Boltcaster mode. They had learned there was a couple kinds of crustaceous creatures that would love to eat them. They were small but could be annoying and they wanted to keep their shield up to the max because of all the terrestrial predators on the surface.

This proved to be a good precaution because they were everywhere. They would briefly switch their tool to mine Emeril but then quickly change it back after. They followed the meandering caves that their sensors said pointed north which was the goal. Getting back to the ship without a storm blindsiding them. The constant dripping of water could be heard and while calming at first…became more unsettling as time marched on. After hours they started to run after dead end to dead end and when they tried to re trace their steps they became more turned around. When their ships signal went away on their visor…anxiety was quick to set in. They thought back to those other Traveler's and how their logs were easy to find. Nothing would find them here if they perished. There was enough plutonium around that none of their systems would fail…but this was not a comfort.

Then there was a time where they had run in the caves fear and anxiety had possessed them and only the fear of bringing more of those crustaceans stopped them from screaming at all. When they had control again they were trembling up against a rock wall in a corner so they could not be surprised in one of the more open and expansive cavern. They felt themselves slide down unto their legs. The trembling's getting worse. Their breath coming in and out erratically. They spent a good amount of time in that spot.

They tried to convince themselves to squeeze into one of the smaller caverns to try to escape but they could not do it. It felt as if the walls of this cavern was crushing them…A thought occurred. There was a blueprint they had discovered but did not feel the need to implement. It was a kind of plasma grenade that could carve out the very ground of a world…they could tunnel out of this hole! They had one slot left empty in their tool and they quickly looked up the materials needed and despair crashed in again. They were 10 Heridium sort of the quota, and they had not encountered a speck of the element in these tunnels walls or inhabitants.

Their eyes felt a sting and a shuddering breath left them. 'No, there HAS to be a way!' they thought desperately. The solution was excruciating simple. They had upgraded their suit to provide a better endurance to themselves and if they dismantled the upgrade they would obtain 75 Heridium which was more than plenty. They did this quickly and proceeded to make the grenade mod. This took longer because while hope had dug its claws in, their hands still shook from the fluctuations in emotion.

With the mod made they gave a shout of elation. The fuel to power this mod was plutonium and they were all but swimming in it down here. They picked the highest area of the caves and stepped back and shot a couple of grenades off. They were only the basic kind but they did move the rock. They dug up for a while and then horizontal so it was more of a 'step' process. Then they would start digging up again. After several recharges of the tool and only two horizontal steps and they were greeted with acid green sky. They used their pack to climb out and they saw their first sunlight in however long they were down there for. The ships signal was back and to their total surprise? It was only about a minute away.

They ran back to the ship and made sure to stow away all the Emeril they had collected. Their nerves were too stretched to fly tonight…though night here was relative. They were start to think that none of the planets in this system rotated. They made their way back to the shelter they had landed by and made sure to lock the door behind them. They were so weary that it was hard to shrug off their pack and they rotated their sore limbs. As they laid down to rest the helmet made it seem that it was just a normal night. Nothing would know of the tears that were running like rivers underneath as they tried to sleep.


	5. The Risk Factor

Chapter Four: The Risk Factor

The morning after their 'not so fun' spelunking adventure they were slow to start searching. They ate what was left of the rations in this shelter and took slow bites of the meal. They were only giving themselves a few more sols to locate all the animals. They cannot comb this entire planet. That would be a waste of time. They shouldered their pack and hopped into their ship. They started flying a sweep pattern to try to find the last couple of entries. At one point they landed and went through another cave system. This wasn't so much to mine the Emeril though that was definitely a perk, as it was to overcome their fear. The plasma grenades were quite effective and after tunneling through making their own exits and entryways it gave them a sense of comfort. At least they know for a fact that they can tunnel out. Though the fear they had experienced seemed to be more rooted in their mind and was not going to go away completely. They at least had a fact to stave off the panic for a while. As long as Plutonium was around.

Through the hiking to various points on this particular continent, they found themselves again wondering who they were. Through the monoliths in this star system they learned more about the Korvax at least. Something about how it was a universal consciousness and there was this disconnection that caused a lot of chaos. Then how the Gek had enslaved them. They did not see that was the case now; but They knew only so much of the language. Maybe they still were enslaved and 'they' were just ignorant. The Vy'Keen they had only heard snippets of this race. It sounded like they were a warrior race, which could be a good thing for modifications…or a bad thing due to if they were warmongering.

They paused. Warmongering? What did that mean? When they first thought it they knew it made sense but now going back over the thought that word stood out. They didn't know why. They mulled it over a bit, climbing over another huge foothill. The knowledge popped in a while later. Someone who warmongers is someone who tries to make war. War being fighting…death in vast numbers. Did 'their' race have wars? Why would they know the term otherwise? Did the effect of a war be the cause of their predicament? Or…what did it matter it's not like they were going to get an answer anytime soon.

The word 'war' held something…personal to it. They knew that much, but with no memories there was no way to say if they were a victim…or a causer. They tried to dismiss such thoughts. What kind of thought was that? It's not like they enjoy hurting things. Why would they be in a war? 'We need to stop this thought process. This planet is driving us crazy.' This line of thought would have a trace of irony to it later.

They ended up buying another ship at an outpost a couple of sols later. The deal was too good to pass up and the amount of maneuverability and weaponry with the added bonus of more space…Perfect. A few systems needed some upgrades and there was the ever present concern of every star damned ship they come across was empty of fuel. How that worked they hadn't a clue. This ship was faded blue and silver. It had a strange circular part near the rear of the ship they assumed was for stability either with a pulse jump or a warp. They learned rather quickly that it was a much faster ship that they were accustomed to.

After a couple more sols they were very close to saying 'forget it' to discovering all the creatures on this planet. Then they encountered one of them close to a manufacturing plant and in their haste to get the little…they launched a grenade that happened to hit the reinforced door to the complex. Then suddenly things got very hectic. Sentinels started to approach and firing their weapons and they made it a point to break open the hatch to find some cover. They were on the flattest plateau and there was no cover outside. A couple of grenades and their shield weakening they got through and dashed inside pointing their weapon outside in case the sentinels decided to follow. There were alarms going off in the building and while they watched the doorway they went to the terminal to see if they could access the terminal to stop it. The sentinels stayed outside and that was a good thing already. The terminal was accessible and it seemed as if the system was going to reboot. They tried to save the data and suddenly the facility was calm and silent again.

They got the blueprint to make suspension fluid, which was useful in its own right. The sentinels went back to their normal floating position and they breathed a sigh of relief. A signal pinged in the terminals screen. They answered expecting to see an irritated Korvax because they broke in. That was not the case. The Korvax seemed fairly happy they had done so and after listening to the message they got the gist that the facility had been in lock down and through their actions of getting it out of lock down the facility was back to being useful again. They even got some Units for compensation. Who would have guessed wrecking things could have a positive effect?

After that they made it a point to help get these facilities back to working order. It gave them valuable products to make, and increased standing with the Korvax. There was an added benefit to learning how to fight the sentinels as well. They found that while their aim was shaky at first, the more time they had cleared these areas the more it was apparent that somehow they had used weapons in the past. It was the way their hand was steady, how there was a 'calm' that came over them. An ease of 'I've done this countless times.' It was experience, just like with the mountain climbing, fixing the ships. Though memory was not present they Knew they had done this.

At least they were not a complete novice in protecting themselves. Another plus in their favor. A few more sols and finally deciding that the last two entries had to be endangered and possibly their log was flawed they decided to go ahead to Reskokortiskau. It was further from any of the other planets and when they disengaged the pulse drive they noticed that the planet was almost nothing but water. Since they disliked water they were already dreading this planet.

When they entered the atmosphere they were taken aback. Yes the planet was mostly covered in water but by the stars was it beautiful. The land was mostly a fuchsia color though there were mountainous parts that were a dark blue. The bodies of water was a sea-foam green color and was stark against the lands coloration. They landed at a place called "Deyest Fields." They found themselves looking up into the sky. It was a light blue, with puffy white clouds and emotion welled deep within their core. It took them a moment to realize there were tears running down their face. Why? What was about this sky that made them ache? Was it…their past coming through? Something about a blue sky? They didn't know. Just that the sight of this sky stirred many emotions, most of which they couldn't identify. Their data informed them that the sentinels were hostile. Did that mean that any they ran across would attack them? The answer to that question would be yes.

This proved to be rather problematic. The world was quite pleasant otherwise. There was no fauna so they could enjoy themselves unlike the other planets that had creatures to discover. What flora was there was very sparse. There was plenty of gold and copper deposits which, normally they would have loved to mine and build up some Units because the new ship they had acquired left them rather low. The sentinels would not have it. They made due and stored enough on the ship in case they needed upgrades otherwise they left it alone.

Then while they were cautiously avoiding sentinel patrols they came across something strange. From afar it looked like a vibrant green orb. When they approached it light up with a surprising amount of light coming from such a small object. So of course curiosity made them pick it up… What they got for their trouble was two normal sentinels and a bigger…ground oriented one that almost took their shield down in one hit. They managed to destroy the airborne drones while running back to their ship to take off. The bigger one hit for a lot of damage and they felt a stab of fear when their shield went offline. They managed to launch a barrage of grenades that destroyed it but other sentinels were inbound. They got to their ship and was hit once in the flank. Pain flared up even as the ship closed them in the cockpit and they took off in hopes to leave them behind.

The pain wasn't all consuming. Though the wound stung and felt rather tender they were thankful that it was not any worse. They found an outpost not a few moments after it seemed they might lose consciousness. Perhaps they were hit harder than they thought they had been. That became increasingly apparent as they hobbled into the outpost where a couple of Korvax greeted them, before making alarmed sounds. They registered the feeling of falling before everything going black.


	6. Death is Always on the Heels

Chapter Five: Death Is Always On the Heels

They woke up on some sort of bed that was hard. Their head felt stuffy and their limbs felt heavy. A Korvax was peering down at them, trying to look through their visor. Whatever it was saying was lost to them. They recalled the sentinel ambush and getting hit. They ran their hand down to where they were hurt. It felt…bruised but not a sharp pain anymore. 'The Korvax must have tended to their wound.' They thought passingly. They had helped the Korvax quite a bit; it didn't even occur to them that the Korvax would be willing to help them with much. They were quite thankful. The Korvax waved its hand in front of their visor. After they refocused on the alien it made a range of hand…signals? After a couple of tries they caught its meaning. It was essentially saying that they should not walk much and they needed time to recover.

This could be problematic but since this planet had hostile sentinels they supposed they could just fly to a couple of waypoints to collect that data. Then they could leave; their element stores were full and there is no fauna on this rock. Thinking about the elements they recalled the orb they had found. They sat up slowly so they could judge the extent of their wound but besides a bit of an ache it was bearable. They pulled out the orb which started to glow as soon as they touched it again. Their scanner said it was a gravitino orb.

After checking their found recipes for new upgrades they saw that these rare orbs were used to make better weather condition shields on the higher end of the quality scale. The only two they had in their data log was for cold and heat. They decided that the improved shielding for colder temperatures would be made first. The other components was easy enough to make. Electron vapor was made from suspension fluid and plutonium. Both of which was easy to get. The next items was a couple of microdensity fabric portions which were crafted from iron and platinum. They had to venture briefly out to obtain enough platinum but rushed back inside after harvesting a couple of plants.

Using those components they installed the new shielding tech and it seemed to be in working order. This was a planet that did not cool enough to warrant a testing of the shielding but hopefully it was in working order. Since the heat shielding also required another one of those spheres…they needed a plan to ensure they don't get hurt again. After a couple of sols of rest in a nearby shelter close to the outpost they found a field that had those spheres everywhere. They landed right by a few of them and after a moment of calming their nerves they went to the farthest one and braced themselves. They plucked the first orb of the ground and their sensors went off, informing them sentinels were on the way. They plucked the other two orbs off the ground and before a sentinel could fire a shot they were in their ship and taking off.

This was a rather good plan all considered because after going out of range the sentinels reset. They went back to this field and collected a few more orbs in the same manner as before. If it was this hard to get these in most of the galaxy they would place a gamble that they sold for a decent price. They were right. They kept one of the orbs to craft the heat shield and after that was done there was no reason to stay. There was only one planet left in this star system and after they checked that planet out to see what was present they could finally move on. This gave them some excitement. Their wound was healing and thankfully if something did shoot at them it hit their shields but they heeded the Korvax's precaution. Retrieving the orbs was the only thing that could have stressed it, mostly they were in their ship.

Breaking Reskokortiskau's atmosphere was simple and going to the last planet Agodstovenis was an uneventful affair. There was some freighters that warped in the system but they were headed toward the space station and paid them no mind.

This planet, at least in color scheme reminded them of Ermoti Jeongl. It had a yellow sky near the horizon that went to bright red as one looked up. A cool thing to note was the remaining trio of planets and Uttondi were easily seen in this sky and it looked very beautiful. The clouds were yellow in tone and did seem to carry some sort of precipitation. The ground was mostly a chalky tan color, mixed in with a rust colored stone. The terrain was kind of hilly but the only odd thing was rather large mesas that appeared as if someone had cut perfect blocks of the red stone and placed them about randomly.

This planet was also the coldest they had encountered. It stayed at a frigid -79.9 C and would drop to -90 C during frequent storms that kicked up the dirt and made visibility very low. Their new shield was clearly working, and constantly in need to be re charged. There were animals on this planet and after a couple of encounters they were sure there was nothing but predators on this planet. At least there were no large predators…yet. Also their log was messing up with the scanning of the fauna and flora so they decided that after a couple of monoliths and outposts they might continue on.

The monoliths were the same as before and they continued to learn more about how the Korvax's technology had been abused by the first Gek when the Gek had enslaved them. They went to a couple of factories to collect a couple more product blueprints and tried to collect what aluminum they could. That seemed to be the only profitable material on this planet besides the common elements.

After a couple of sols just gathering material to sell and then getting the profits they came across another building that was abandoned. It also had the green masses around the walls. The entry found there baffled them "what are the Sentinels? They appear on countless worlds without summons or warning, they traverse the galaxy unopposed and enforce their will upon every sentient being they encounter. Who made them? Who gave them the will to police the stars and demand that we bow to their silent rules? The goal of the experiment was to learn the answers to these questions. It began on an uncharted world beneath a blue-white sun, far from the axis of civilization. The first drone screamed when it was cut open."

'What…in the galaxy's name…' The sentinel screamed? How, or why? They seemed robotic, without any organic parts. Reskokortiskau taught them that much. They were made mostly of titanium. They would prefer to leave them alone unless they attacked first. If there was a sentience that can feel with those sentinels they should not be so trigger happy.

A couple of sols later with their bestiary still having some sort of issue with not counting appropriately they decided to sell their goods at the space station, rest up and warp to the next system. The star system did not have much in the way of traffic at this specific point of time. They would admit they weaved through the asteroid fields to help get them used to aerial maneuvers. Without the gravitational pull of a planet or its atmosphere it was a completely different experience.

The space station, no doubt due to the little traffic was a bit more empty than usual. There were still plenty of ships coming in, and ships taking off but the actual wandering residents were in lower numbers. They paid for a room, but did not wish to retire yet. They went back to the commons area and made sure to sell all their extra wares. The next system might be sparse in resources and they should probably sequester all the Units they could till they made sure they could earn more back.

They sat down with some food and there were a couple of Korvax talking. While they tried hard to not overhear while ingesting their food the subject matter caught their attention. Course this is where a language gap doesn't help. Something about space thieves…their numbers increasing? They caught themselves making a disgusted noise. They did not want to deal with any of that. Their weapons were alright but they were concerned about their shield failing. They did not want to crash land again. They might not live if that happened again. Speaking of things that could or would have killed them, Their side was mostly healed. It did not ache but they still though there was a bruise present. They did not know because they still couldn't look at themselves.

They wondered if they will encounter another 'Traveler?' What would they be like? Would they be like them? Or different entirely? More questions in the never ending pile of questions. After their meal they meandered for a while. Admiring the stars on the observation deck. There was a few other beings around but it was relatively quiet. They were walking along the railing, their arms folded behind them, which they supposed was strange but it felt comforting to them. They actually remembered their beings terms for their form. Like arms, legs, blood, organs. That was a process that took a lot of sols, but now they recalled it. They found themselves running through the terms to make sure they didn't forget again.

It gave them hope though. If they remembered that…however basic the info was, then given enough time, maybe they will remember all. Hopefully, those memories aren't harmful to their health. Feeling tired after walking for a long portion of time they went to their room and fell fitfully asleep.


	7. The Star Ocean

Chapter Six: The Star Ocean

(Totally a reference but the new star system was too pretty to not use that title)

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They awoke from fitful sleep feeling completely aware by the time they sat up to stretch. They did not recall any dreams that they may have had, which considering the dead Traveler's logs they've come across that might be a good thing. They purchased some more rations from the terminal, they didn't know what they were going to find in the next system and they wanted to be as prepared as they could. They felt anxious due to the fact that they had no clue what they would find, but at the same time they wanted to see more.

With nothing else left to do, they boarded their ship and left the station. They took in Eatkomstehan's system; how the star bathed the planets in a reddish light and the planets positioning in the system. They pulled up their star map and the next star system had two planets and two moons and was well within warp distance. With a breath they steadied themselves and engaged warp.

Warping was a boring affair. There was plentiful light that waved and shimmered and it was mesmerizing. If one wasn't stuck sitting in a chair. Their ship warped out without warning and normally they would be concerned. What they saw filled them with awe instead.

They were in the new system alright, everywhere they looked it seemed they were in an aquamarine nebula that must surround this entire star system…It was beautiful beyond words. There was a moment where they stared out of the cockpit in complete awe and they turned their vessel so they could see the system in its entirety. The planets were not all that far from each other and one of them had both of the moons on opposite sides of their host. There was another space station closest to the larger planet without any moons and it wasn't Korvax…and it was the size of a small planet at that. Curiosity took hold and they piloted the ship toward the station and was guided to a docking area.

The ships here seemed…more combative than most of the Korvax ships which were mostly geared towards exploration. They stepped out cautiously and similar to the other station they were paid no mind. The main race here were variable in appearance. Most were taller than them and…sported tentacle…like or a normal mouth depending on the individual. Normal is relative of course and they wondered why they thought so. They didn't dwell they had observations to continue making. They also had different colors of pigmented skin and there did not seem to be any kind of indicator as to why.

There were few Korvax and a bigger proportion were Gek, but they were still the minority. They did not have any to sell so there was not a real reason to stay so they launched away; deciding on landing on the planet without the moons called "Omigatan Tadal." It seemed like a rather cold planet with nothing but snow from space but as they entered the atmosphere they saw there was a plentiful amount of large flora despite the snow they had seen. They landed at an outpost and surveyed their surroundings. The ground was mostly snow covered and there wasn't much in the way of clouds so the sun could shine clearly in the sky and the other planet and moons were clearly visible and large in the sky.

The flora was like large trees that twisted around and other…Taiga looking trees that were rather numerous. The shrubbery wasn't a big portion of the flora and what grass that was peeking from the snow seemed yellow in color and wasn't very tall. There was copper suspended in rock formations and Emeril in deposits that littered the land. All and all a good planet to earn some Units and hopefully catalog all the animals. There were only nine species if their database can be believed.

They learned quickly that this star system was called "Luvikninaleifs" was occupied by the Vy'Keen: a militant race that was of honor and conduct. Something about their structure and discipline pleased a part of them. It gave credence that they might had been in a similar organization back on their home world. Or knew someone in a similar organization. Who was to say? The monoliths they found taught Them words in Vy'Keen and it was frustrating to once again have such a barrier. They had been finally getting the meaning behind Korvax only now changing it up.

Most of the planets inhabitants were peaceful herbivores that made musical like calls and gathered around their person more often than not. This was hazardous because most didn't go past their thigh. Though there was a kind of herbivore that was not only strange looking but very tall, tallest they had seen since there journey's start. They just started to make a process of mining Emeril and tracking species while they did and after their inventories were full they would make a stop at an outpost to sell and meanwhile if they found a spot of interest they would look. This was usually alien monuments…though they came across an abandoned base with a similar wiggling masses but blue in color…no thanks.

They repeated this simple process till they got to the point where their funds matched before they had obtained their new vessel. Gold was also in this planet in the caves and after beating back more crustaceous predators and thus completing the log for this world they mined it as well.

The final sol they decided to stay before going to the next planet they were lounging against a tree close to a settlement of Vy'Keen. It contained a communication tower, an outpost and a few buildings that was shelter oriented. They wondered why the Vy'Keen painted their bases in a bright pink. At least it was easily recognized and seen. A breeze swept through the trees and they heard how the wind danced through the woods behind them. It was quite peaceful. A bit too cold for their tastes but still sedate to where their nerves were quite calm. Watching the small sun slowly sink into the horizon was a good way to end a day. Their eyes started to feel heavy…

" _Oh, come on! Don't be such a stickler! I wasn't harming anything, there is no reason to report this…Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hey what division you in? I think I remember seeing you. What?! You're..."_

They jolted awake with their life support about to fail, their cold shielding also out of power. They charged their systems while trying to remember their dream. It was their past; they were sure of it! Who was that being? It had to be their kind because it was their language. It sounded fairly high pitched. Wondered if that meant anything. They couldn't exactly test to see if they could reproduce the tone because the disuse their voice might not even work anymore…

So many, many questions. There was one thing they knew. The longer they were 'Awake' and 'Aware' they were slowly remembering. It would just have to take time. Something they seem to have plenty of. Sleep was a bit harder to do that night. Both because of the hope that dream brought…and the dread what was still hidden.


	8. Passing By

Heya guys Pagan here, and first off I'm not dead! yay! I had the stomach flu and college start up at the same time and yeah...not fun. Also after this chapter I think I'm going to flex my author muscles and put more story into this. I had a bare backbone but I think its time to up the stakes. Uploading will probably be weekends only cuz college sucks. Thanks to those who have kept up with me and hope your labor day weekend is fun and safe!

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The morning light filtering through the small Vy'Keen refuge was what woke them up from their deep sleep. They felt a bit drowsy…and if they dreamt it either wasn't important or perhaps they never recalled dreams easily. Who was to naysay them? The food they consumed tasted bland and was a disturbing consistency that they rather not experience again. It was a light gray paste of sorts. Would it kill the Korvax to make more tasteful foods? Nutrients are the point but there is an appetite to consider.

After a brief systems check of the ship, they pointed their ship toward the sky and exited its atmosphere. The beauty of this system still took them aback as it had a few sols before. The second planet was not far in a relative sense and the moons were very small in comparison.

Sigh…it had been a few sols from the last entry. The second planet in this system was called "Oodsachotermos-Hakha" and it was very similar to Eatkomstehan's Agodstovenis. In rock formations and even the color scheme was similar. The only difference was this planet was radioactive rather than cold like Agodstovenis. There was no fauna to catalogue and after mining a modest amount of Aluminum there was no point to stay. The two moons "Zizheni-Baw Druck" and "Narker-Radyna OV681" did not have much in the way of exciting encounters. Zizheni was like Ermoti Jeongl from the previous system and much like its parent planet. There were a plethora of flora but no fauna so they left for Narker-Radyna then. The thing about this moon was it had very little atmosphere so when they stepped out they could still see the nebula for its sky. The stark difference between that shimmering sky and the grayish rocky landscape was quite striking. Along with the parent planet looming large in the sky.

They wish they could say they found something useful but that moon was basically barren of anything. No matter, there were other star systems and they were itching to keep moving forward. They needed to keep an eye for some Iridium. They wished to upgrade their multi-tool to a newer one that had more modifications but upgrades do not transfer. Their rations were still plentiful and all the fuel for the ships systems and shields were stowed away.

They had a 'path' lined out before them in their star map from the red orb from before, but they looked around to nearby stars but their ship wasn't able to warp to them. Which was upsetting because one of the systems had a red giant for a star and it would have been interesting to see how different its light would be compared to other stars ascetically and potentially elementwise. Oh well. The next system on the path was "Nisomustikk" and it had five planets and a moon somewhere.

After a brief mental goodbye to this beautiful system, they engaged warp. The warp time seemed longer than the warp from Eatkomstehan to the second system, but that could have been caused by their inattention the first time. The first thing they saw out of warp was an eclipse. The light in this system seemed darker, a medium sized nebula nearby painting the system in a noxious yellow tint. But the planets of this system were almost completely in line with the others, except a couple of smaller planets off to the sides. There was an expansive asteroid field that had some asteroids well past the size of their ship looming ominously.

There was no space traffic in this system and in a way the system seemed…dead. In fact the key way to describe it was: eerie. There didn't seem to be anyone around. Though that necessarily doesn't mean that contributed to the…creepy factor…maybe it was just the strange contrast of dark colors? No matter this dithering is ridiculous.

They decided to go to the furthest planet from 'the row' of planets in the system. As they neared it; it looked like a gas planet. Going through the atmosphere took longer, it was rather thick and afterwards they were in a thick cloud mass that clearly held a lot of precipitation. This was noted by how 'rain' pelleted the ship after breaching the clouds to the ground below. Which appeared to be a bright magenta in color with green oceans and seas.

They landed on some raised land far enough from a body of water in case of flooding. Their sensors stated this planet was "Lijian RF33." Oh, and apparently it never stopped raining on this world. At least the temperature was decent. There was plenty of fauna on this world as well. Various herbivores milling about eating…Iron? Perhaps herbivores was an incorrect term. Non-predator perhaps? The land itself held no flora but it was an absolute jungle in the waters of this world. They sighed in resignation. At least their suit made it to where they couldn't 'feel' wet. That would be the worse, though slogging through the pinkish mud was not pleasant in any form and wore them out.

There were these rain storms that would whip through and if not for quick thinking and hooking into ditches that buffered the wind they might have blown away for many klicks…what kind of word was a klick? They supposed it was a distance marker and mentally waved off the other questions. Still no answers after all.

It took seven sols before they gave up on trying to find every animal. Much like Uttondi there was just too many and rare creatures are rare for a reason. One oddity they had found was an aqua sphere. They found out it was used for a homing beacon upgrade but without a good multi-tool with plenty of slots there was no reason to keep it. They got more space in their exosuit, and had mined enough gold and copper to have their Unit count to over 5 million. Not bad, but they figured really good ships costed more so they decided to keep mining as they went along their journey.

They left the water world of Lijian RF33, thankful that they wouldn't spend another night in a shelter that had the rain sound like a muted roar but still very present as they tried to rest. The next planet was about as opposite to 'Life' as possible.

There was little to no atmosphere. Just like the moon of the previous system, but where the moon had a beautiful aquamarine nebula…there was the ill looking yellow nebula here. There seemed to be a wind but they wondered if it was some solar cause. There were dark particles suspended in the air and it whispered everywhere here. Though the temperature was a nice 27.5 degrees. The ground was a brown almost black color and as the scanner said it held no life at all. "Lolluppinnol" seemed too cheery a name for this desolate world. They wandered to a pedestal to a red glowing cube that seemed put here randomly and they could see that there were other pedestals with similar cubes.

They tried to scan it to see 'what' it was. Energy, an item or what. They were informed it was a vortex cube. A brief check into the blueprints they had amassed it was used for some weapons upgrades for their ship that would be very, very useful. However, since it was the same rarity as those gravtino orbs, they had a notion the sentinels might get triggered into alert as soon as they grab it. Why else would there be so many of these cubes here when they are so valuable?

They decided they would grab the three that were required for the upgrade. Using the 'taking and running to their ship as sentinels fired at them' tactic they completed this thrice times. Though they almost died by tripping on the second trip but they managed to hop back into ship safe and sound.

The upgrade was swift to make and quicker to install. It provided more damage to their phase beam which if they did come across space thieves it would be handy indeed. There wasn't much in the way of shelters on this world, the other races must have thought this planet worthless but they found a small Vy'Keen shelter tucked away into a mountainside. It wasn't much. Basically a shack but it beat sleeping in the cockpit of their ship. That always killed their back. They ate quickly and settled down to rest. They drifted off to sleep not long thereafter.

 _"_ _Ya know what I'd like to do? I want to go out there…among the stars. I want to see things completely different from everything I know. I mean…I know it's scary out there and I'm not all big and brave like you…but I want to go all the same. I know…you'll keep me safe from the mean ol' monsters."_ * _Light laughter._


	9. Company

Hey I'm still not dead! I got super ill again like hospital and everything and of course college is being a dick. I have three exams this following week so I probably won't be able to post next weekend. But who knows maybe I will find some time. Also yay some plot! And pronouns get complicated. The lines are breaks. I'm still figuring how this works.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Company

The laughter was ringing in their mind as they became aware again. Their mind felt…unsteady; unfocused. That voice was from their past but whenever they accessed any real memory it felt to them like their mind was slow and body heavy. There wasn't any visuals they recalled with this one. Whoever this being was they had talked about exploring space…and that part of protecting them…why did they have to protect? Who was this? The number of questions they had seemed to be creeping up to an infinite amount at this rate. Time seems to be the only remedy but they were not the most patient of entities. Impatience was what they were feeling, and a pain in the heart that was nameless.

They hoisted themselves into a sitting position, flexing their hands trying to rid themselves of the grogginess. They weren't hungry today, but they would be ravenous tomorrow if the pattern of their needs is the same. After storing away the aluminum they had collected here away into their ship, they made up their mind to jump to the next planet. There was no reason to stay on this planet. A theme they were clearly picking up on. There was this inner pull to go to the center but to what purpose? Otherwise besides upgrading their equipment there did not seem to be a lot of things to do otherwise.

The next planet in the 'line' of this star system was "Flevardenha-Cod." The atmosphere was modest and after the low atmosphere of Lolluppinnol would be a nice change. From their readings the planet had rain but relatively little in the atmosphere which they also found to be nice. After entering the atmosphere they noticed the ground seemed to be a dark primrose color to brown. They landed on a plateau that seemed to have an abundance of flora present. Stepping out they had to pause to take in the sights.

There was wind on this planet and the sky was light pink in color. It was rather like the first planet they had 'woke' up on. The cacti were similar in design, though the colors were more a red and yellow than what Viceriasi Abbe's had been. The grasses were a vibrant green, and their scanner said there was fauna on this planet. They sat down on top of their ship and was perfectly content to watch the sun sink behind a planet and its moon in a beautiful sunset.

The planet was cold but they were starting to think that maybe it's the norm for most of the planets in this sector of the galaxy. It was the only thing they could think of. They had already planned to not find all the fauna. This star system had planets that were not completed and they still felt the urge to continue on. That being said they wanted to see if they could find a rare element to mine if possible. They had found plentiful Emeril deposits so at least they would get a big amount to add to their funds in the coming sols. A few sols passed. Most of those was mining Emeril and selling it to various outposts.

They had also encountered many plaques on this world. They got the gist that some sort of war had happened on this world, and they did not hear of any winner or loser. Just a vast amount of casualties. The plaques themselves also highlighted more of the Vy'Keen past. Of Hirk's life and his death and how the fighting spirit in each and every Vy'Keen was a part of Hirk. These plaques also told how the Vy'Keen had been warring with the sentinels…for an immeasurable amount of time.

After reaching 7 million units and most of the fauna they decided to jump to the planet with the moon. This planet was vibrant with life…but a mass graveyard all the same.

They should had have stayed on this planet as it turned out.

The next planet was "Urringa Ansumu" and was practically a twin to Lolluppinnol, the only difference was there were lakes on this planet. Otherwise it was a carbon copy. They had to appreciate the odds of that happening in the same star system. Their scanner picked up some sort of signal coming from a vast ruin complex. It may have even been a city. There wasn't any radio chatter the planet seemed deserted…but the distress signal was different than the normal crashed ship and they were curious as to why.

As a whim they landed their ship away from the main area and out of aerial sight. A spire of Heridium casted a dark shadow on their ship and the blue of the ship hid itself well. They withdrew their plutonium stored in the ship and set the multi-tool to the Boltcaster. It was better to be cautious than reckless.

The ruins were eerie. The wind was whistling through the hollow structures and barring the sound of water dripping from somewhere it was silent. They stuck to the shadows though some of their exosuit had white coloring so that could only help so much. A noise caught their attention and they darted into a ruined building that was square like. A voice rang out in the stillness and a rattling of metal. They snuck a quick look from a small rectangle opening. There were some Vy'Keen standing guard with a bunch…of aliens? They saw that they were all tied together and not in the best state of clothing. Misery seemed very present here. From the two closest guards they caught some words when the wind waned. 'Slaves?' the two Vy'Keen threw the word around and gestured toward the lot. They turned away and looked to the ground in thought. Slavery was a term that they remembered…and knew that they felt it was wrong to a significant degree, however, they had an excellent standing with the Vy'Keen and they did not particularly care to irritate the warrior race as a whole.

Though these Vy'Keen were not dressed as any other they had seen. Their armor seemed more worn down and in bright red coloring. By the stars they feel conflicted…but if they turned around and went back, this would haunt their mind and call themselves into doubt. With a long breath, they steeled themselves, and decided they needed a better vantage point. They needed an estimate of the numbers…for if no one radioed back then the rest of the race, the Vy'Keen would not know what had occurred…

With that particularly macabre mindset they exited out from an opposite doorway and looped around, paying a close eye for any lookouts that might be present. There was one but on the far side of the ruined plaza the prisoners were in. There seemed to only be five guards, and a metal object they assumed was the beacon near a broken pillar off to the side.

They mapped out how the guards were spaced, and plotted their attack. Surprise will help in the beginning but that will only last for so long. The first Vy'Keen they hit was the one with a large cannon like weapon, and a couple of bolts to the head was sufficient. Before the first Vy'Keen had fallen down completely they shot its partner in the back and neck and that one also crumpled to the ground. The others were on high alert and barking commands at each other. They reloaded their weapon, aware that it was slow to reload. They skirted to another building and heavy footfalls came barreling toward them. This greenish Vy'Keen bellowed in challenge and tried to trip Them. They shot at its chest and briefly switched to the mining beam and…melted the opponent. They quickly hurried from the place and tossed a couple of plasma grenades to draw attention away and snuck close to the prisoners.

Most were Gek and they could see the blaze of hope in all of their eyes. Using their beam, they quickly severed the main chain from its post and most of the prisoners rushed away. The Vy'Keen shot into the ranks and some chains were severed further…some Gek fell. They shot the beacon and it gave a satisfying boom as it caught fire. There were more Vy'Keen coming from deep within the ruin, and after a quick prayer for the prisoners they turned tail, and darted to and fro from the shadows. Wary of the patrols looking for Them.

Closest to the edge of the ruined city they did a quick scan and it confirmed that there was a cave system underneath. They tossed a couple of grenades in a shaded area and once they saw an opening they fell through. Wasting no time, they ran from the direction of the ruins and deeper into cave system. The only thing that accompanied them was the sound of dripping water.

* * *

They didn't know how long they ran, they kept an eye on their ship's icon for reference and after a while the cave was filled with water in places and open to the stale air of this world in natural skylights. They sat down, struggling to take air from their suit, they felt damp from underneath the suit, and while that could be concerning they needed to catch their breath. Taking a brief look at their suit they seemed undamaged as unlikely as it sounds.

They leaned against the cave wall, sore and still feeling concern of those prisoners. Had any gotten away? Or were they all hunted down? As much as they wished they had answers, they were not going to trek back to see what had occurred. A scuffle took their notice, and slowly they lifted their multi-tool. It sounded like footsteps approaching…Where they were at they would see whoever it was first. The clatter of footsteps was running and from their place three Gek appeared. Clearly former prisoners this trio was tied together and of similar height. They stopped near the water and seemed like they craved a drink. Unfortunately, with low atmosphere they couldn't risk it…at least they should know they shouldn't risk it. The closest Gek to them caught sight of Them and squawked to gain the others attention. It was a tense moment where They stared at the trio, and they stared back wide eyed. The trio slowly raised their hands in clear surrender, as they eyed their multi-tool. They stored their tool on their suit's belt and mimicked the gesture.

The trio looked at each other in askance, and one to the right stepped forward. It spoke a phrase in Gek, which was almost useless because they knew very little about Gek. The smallest Gek in the middle spoke one word they recognized "Friend?" They nodded. They weren't going to hurt any of them. It was true in a general sense.

The trio clattered excitedly, and They instantly made a motion to quiet them down. They listened rather well. They sighed…it appears that they have three new charges to find a safe place to be. They walked over to the group and quickly freed them of their chains. They made motions of rubbing their wrists even though they were covered in a kind of exosuit themselves. They checked the location of their ship. It was 15:43 minutes away, and the cave seemed to head in that general direction.

With a motion of Their hand they motioned that the trio follow them. After a couple of steps toward Their ship they heard the soft pitter platter of three sets of feet following them.

* * *

It was rather dark in the caves after leaving the porous openings the body of water had eroded away. Their light on Their suit was sufficient and with all the red glowing plutonium it was a tolerable dark. The Gek were pretty silent only the occasional curse if one of them lost some footing. The trio seemed to understand that silent was the best way to escape from this planet. Their ship was just about overhead. They paused to listen to see if they could detect that their ship was bait. Besides the sound of the wind they didn't catch anything. They tossed a couple of grenades while praying there wasn't any Vy'Keen around to hear them. They used their jetpack to look around and the coast seemed clear.

They settled back down into the cave and slowly helped the trio climb the small opening into the open air. Looking at Their ship they took note of the cockpit and then to the trio. It could probably be done but by a Nova it was going to be cramped to all kinds of unpleasantness.

There was an option of leaving them but they discarded the thought almost instantly. It seemed a bit of luck that these Gek seemed small for their race. A few hand signs and motions conveyed Their plan. From the postures of everyone involved they understood that it wasn't going to be a pleasant ride.

Maneuvering four entities into a maybe two seater cockpit was not easy. It ended up being two Gek in the back, with one sitting on another's lap. Then a Gek behind them, against the seat of the driving seat and They were sitting between that Gek's legs because they had to get to the controls and see. They decided to hop to this planets moon. Surely there was a crashed ship they could restore for these Gek. They had encountered plenty in the past.

Taking off was easy, they pointed the bow toward the moon and raised the propulsion to max so they left in a hurry. As they exited the planets low atmosphere, they tried to engage the pulse drive to flee but red alarms sounded.

Enemy ships were inbound.


	10. Cold Desert

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this! I guess whatever powers that be have decided I'm going to stay ill for my last semester of college and its almost all I can do to keep up and rest. Also power cord got borked on my laptop so that took some time. I'm not done with this story by a long shot.

Also Thank You DaOneInDaCorner for your comment! I have always done this sort of thing in my head but with the scope of NMS I wanted to write it down, properly. Also the fact that everyone has a variability in what they encountered also spurred me to write out what happens when I play.

* * *

With the alarms going off and the trio of rowdy Gek chattering nervously it was rather hard to concentrate. The enemy was Vy'Keen and They took note that the ships were the same color of the group from Urringa Ansumu. That did not come as big of a surprise. With the pulse and warp offline, they had to stand and fight. This Korvax vessel did not have a lot of weaponry when They first bought the craft but knowing space battle that was probably inevitable caused them to make sure that it had decent weaponry. It was the shield that wasn't the best. They barked a command for one of the Gek to have the Titanium on standby to charge up the shield if it failed, but it was in Their language and might as well been silent. They caught the Gek behind them attention and pointed toward the shield panel and barked the Korvax word for Oxide. Gek were intergalactic traders surely they knew the other languages to at least be able to trade. The Gek then barked at the two in the back and hopefully Their wishes would be met but Their mind was more focused on the fight now.

Two of the enemy vessels were approaching from the port side of a vessel. They both shot off their photon cannons and they dodged the line by diving the ship under the fire and They focused with keeping the craft pointed toward the moon since that was their destination. They switched to the Phase beam and managed to catch one of the ships propulsion and the last They saw of that ship was spiraling back to the planet below their plane of orientation.

The shields got hit with three shots and as They veered away and tried to get the vessel in range they noticed that one of the Gek had just recharged the shield to full and the one behind them knocked Their hands away to man the weaponry. They focused on getting the vessels in range when the Gek said in broken Korvax "3 ships around!" One of the ships flew past them going toward Starboard and was promptly shot down from the Gek behind Them. 2 ships then.

The two other ships were keen to laying down fire and it was a chore weaving through it all to stay unscathed. One of the Gek whooped as They did so and another said something in Gek which They didn't understand but as long as they all stayed alive it didn't matter. Another ship darted in front of them and the beam only grazed the vessel, probably didn't make the shielding go offline yet. They focused on trailing that vessel, to remove it quickly from the battle. The Gek behind them hissed in agitation and shot a couple of the asteroids with the cannon, which They failed to see how that helped but then the cunning of Their companion showed. The asteroid had moved a bit from the impact of their fire and before the Vy'Keen vessel could compensate their wing of their vessel and shielding was torn away. The Gek delivered the final blow as another beam shot and this vessel exploded.

The last vessel caught part of the bottom of the ship, but their shields took all of the damage. In the back of Their mind it was probably fascinating how Their ship and the enemies was dancing about with no regard to any one plane of axis. This felt familiar in a way that anything else hadn't to Them and with a sound that might be a laugh escaping from Them; they lined up their ship's weapons and the last ship was hit until it also spiraled back to Urringa.

The celebration from Their companions was tangible. A strange kind of verbal thrilling almost like a bird rang through the cockpit. They engaged the pulse drive to head to the moon post haste. They needed to lay low for a bit.

They wondered if it was just Their fate to keep running into places that reminded them of Agodstovenis… Urringa Ansumu's moon was called "Udsonyinemur." As their former statement stated it was similar to a couple of planets they visited. It was -90 C which that was just the day temperature, the nightly temperatures were probably colder. The sky was a blood red with yellow puffy clouds and the ground was off white that seemed to be like snow. There was hardly any vegetation but barring that there seemed to be a plentiful amount of fauna.

Not that it mattered. With those slavers so close they couldn't afford to waste time collecting. Whatever powers that be decided to give them a break it seemed. They came across a station with an outpost and a transmission tower and some shelters huddled close stave off the forceful winds that howled on this world. They landed on the pad, and everyone disembarked a bit hurriedly. They even stretched a bit, feeling somewhat stiff.

They ushered the trio in the outpost and they talked with the Vy'Keen stationed there. Their standing had not been hindered and after talking in broken Vy'Keen they were able to convey what had occurred. This Vy'Keen gave them a jolting pat on the shoulder and a word of praise. At their confusion the Vy'Keen in simple words thankfully, told them it was a pirate organization with no honor at all. In the Vy'Keen's general public opinion, killing the rogues was rather honorable, and brave.

With that cleared up they sold a bit of their acquired gold at the terminal but when they tried to pay for boarding rooms the Vy'Keen waved them off, saying…basically they fought well, so they should rest well.

The suite They were granted had a common area and rooms no doubt attached from it. The trio of Gek were clattering, seeming like they hadn't a care in the world. At Their approach the trio clustered around Them and while the words weren't understandable…the sound of gratitude was very much present.

It invoked a…wistful emotion. The trio seemed to decide that they were going to remove their suits helmets and They took note of how the Gek appeared. The tallest of the bunch was a solid orange color with yellow eyes placed a bit like a (frogs) eyes and it had a black beak that was longer than the others. The middle of height one had (lime) green skin and matching eyes, its beak took up more of its face and it had three horns with the middle being taller than the other two besides it on the crown of its head. There were darker green stripes that ran up and down on the skin as well. It had three little orange dots near the tip of its beak. This one seemed to be the more down to planet on of the lot. The smallest one was a pale yellow and had red eyes. Its beak had a metal plate attached with metal ornaments near the beak. It also had orange dots but with the plate they only saw two. It had a different nose protrusion that the others didn't. It was brown above the plate and three nostrils perhaps? This one had clear scales showing on top of its head a browner color than the yellow skin underneath.

It's strange to see that though they were the same species that there was such a variety to their appearance. They still clattered amongst themselves as they were removing gloves, and boots showcasing webbed feet, and long fingers with a single bony joint. The green one seemed to notice that They were just observing them and made a motion of taking off their suit and pointed at their being. They shook their head…. They were not comfortable with the thought of seeing themselves yet. This apparently was the wrong choice because suddenly the three Gek were surrounding them chattering at once. They held their hands in a stopping motion but to no avail. "Is something wrong?" a Vy'Keen voice drifted from the door that went to the rest of the complex. The Gek barked a couple of phrases, and the Vy'Keen must have been translating on their behalf. "Traveler, they wish to show their gratitude for saving their lives and to do so, Gek prefer to…Kalkten…bathe the being that is deserving of the gratitude. Water holds religious and social components in their…way" This was probably the closest to any actual sentence that They could understand. They cleared Their throat and in a small disused voice said simply in Vy'Keen "I do not care to see myself. This suit…has been worn since I started." The Vy'Keen seemed to relay this, and the Gek seemed to ponder a moment before answering a brief sentence. Again the Vy'Keen translated "They say you can keep your eyes closed. They say that you should bathe due to…the work you have done."

This did not sit well…but as long as They didn't look at themselves…then surely They wouldn't panic. They hoped for not panicking. It was only respectful to have the Gek follow their traditions. Cleanliness would also be prudent as well. It would ensure They had a good chance of not getting sick. They nodded briefly and the Gek cheered.

* * *

Later that evening they had prepared the room that was reserved of washing, and the Tall Gek pulled them and showed them that it had matched Their atmosphere requirements from taking a reading from Their suit. They decided to sit down, their knees in front of Them with Their weight resting on their legs. Their hands fidgeting on Their thighs. They closed Their eyes.

One of the Gek undid the clasps of their helmet, and slowly lifted it from Their head. It was strange to feel air on Their face…The Gek murmured something in its tongue, almost contemplational. Another set of hands was removing Their right glove, with the last Gek removing the left. The clasps of their suit was being released and They forced themselves to take a deep breath…the panic was lurking in Their mind waiting for the right moment to take Them unaware it seemed like.

The suit came off a lot easier than what They were expecting. The coldness of the room had them shivering at the temperature. One Gek grabbed a covering that was over Their torso and removed it, Their arms having to lift to truly be rid of it. Their legs had a covering as well and They stood briefly to shimmy it off their legs and the Gek also removed Their boots. This left Them without anything on, and it was quite strange. They still did not look, and the Gek helped Them sit back down.

A question burned through Their mind, and after a couple of moments asked quietly in Vy'Keen. "Is…There sickness you can see?" This was mostly referring to how the Dead traveler's logs had some of them twisting into some weird creatures. That, They thought was the main reason why fear paralyzed them concerning their appearance. One Gek grasped Their left arm, and answered "No. There is mark here." With a claw it traced this abstract pattern onto Their arm, no doubt tracing said mark. After a moment another Gek spoke "It burn mark. Old" So, it was a scar then. From what? It had to be something from before They woke up. What could have caused it there was no way to discern…They were not going to look. The last Gek piped up "You different. Not like anything else. Coulrakanigh. Good."

They continued to focus on Their breathing. The Gek got to work on scrubbing Themselves clean. They started at the tips of Their fingers and worked all the way to Their feet. Some places felt stranger to be handled than others. One Gek was cleaning Their…hair is what mentally popped into Their mind as the Gek messaged Their head to lather. The Gek spoke softly, mostly in their language. With the occasional Vy'Keen word of "easy." They supposed that They probably seemed like they were tense.

Then came the warm water, that cascaded around Them, rinsing Them off. The rest of the time was rinsing, and lasted only a moment. As the Gek behind Them gathered up their hair, They noticed that it had grown to a ridiculous length. How had They not choked on it? They made a motion of Their hands trying to convey They wished it to be cut. The Gek drew out Their hair to its full length, and pulled at various lengths. They gathered Their hair to where They had a hold of it at the base of Their neck, and nodded. The Gek was quick to cut it quickly, and it felt like a good bit of weight was gone. They were toweled dry, a brisk and quick affair.

They led Them to what They assumed to be Their personal room, and softly urged Them to sit down on Their bed. Before They really knew what happened They felt themselves grow tired, and found deep sleep waiting for Them.

The first thing they noticed is that They felt cold. They burrowed back into the covers and with their legs brushing each other; promptly realized that They still did not have anything on. They still did not care to see themselves so after a moment of contemplating They withdrew all Their limbs under the blanket before opening Their eyes. Their exosuit was laying on a table on the opposite side of the room, folded neatly with Their helmet laying on top of the pile.

Keeping Their head more tilted up They slowly got up from the bed and approached the table. They picked up the coverings that They had worn under Their suit, and tucking Their hands underneath the fabric so They could inspect it. It was a white top, that had nothing on it. It was soft however. The bottoms were looser than what the top appeared to be. It had various pockets and had splashes of greens, brown, and black all over the fabric. After inspecting a bit more trying to dislodge a memory and not getting a glimpse, They closed Their eyes and proceeded to dress Themselves. This seemed to be more muscle memory with which They were grateful for.

The suit was a bit more complicated but They managed to properly clasp it. They left the helmet off because They couldn't see Their own head without a reflective surface and carried it into the common area. The Gek were already up and flitting about making food for the next few days and inventorying what they had amassed. The trio chirped their greeting to Them and one made a motion toward the helmet. At the veiled question They shrugged. It had been more of a whim. The green Gek came toward Them peering up at them. "Eyes pretty." They blinked at that. It seemed the Gek had decided to converse with Them in Vy'Keen due to the fact that was what They knew most of. "color?" They were curious now. The Gek got a ponderous look on its face before replying. "Copper." They filed the knowledge away. Copper colored eyes huh? They wondered if that was a common color among their people.

"What plan?" This was the brown scaled Gek speaking now. They pointed at all the Gek and simply said "Get a ship." The three of the Gek seemed surprised, and after a moment of discussion in Gek they all nodded to Them. Getting ready to depart was a pretty expedient affair to which They were glad. They weren't exactly used to waiting on others to go about Their business.

The moon was still in the negative nineties range in temperature and though wind whipped through, They just prayed that it didn't storm on this world. The Transmission tower had coordinates for a plaque and since it was only a few minutes away the group set off. They scanned what fauna They could, and thankfully it seemed to be nothing but non-predators. On the way to the plaque They harvested a decent amount of Heridium and plutonium. If They did recover a ship, it would need repairs hopefully just similar enough to Their first vessel.

* * *

The long story short is after heading back to reclaim Their ship after getting to the plaque and harvesting the common resources to repair a ship, and then flying around to look for ships. It took nine different ships before the Gek seemed to want one. The latest find was a trading vessel of size; much larger than the small Korvax vessel. The contents of the ship were a few Carite sheets which were needed. The repairs and what was needed for said repairs took them eight sols to complete. The first couple of days was spent resource gathering, with Their units they bought another multi-tool for the Gek to use and it helped reduce the amount of time collecting in the cold conditions. The weaponry was not anything to be thankful for. A simple phase beam without any enhancements was not wise. The shielding was far more advanced than Their own and the sheer amount of space in this ship was quite nice. They figured it was far slower though and not advisable to a traveler who may need to be quick and battle worthy.

The rest of the time was trying to get the ship online, which took a plethora of patience and perseverance. During this time, They got to know their companions better. The tall orange one was Kuriou. The Green pragmatic one was Athenis. The brown, impatient one was Jalen. The trio was also a lot younger than They could have guessed. They were not complete children because from what They gathered all Gek were borne from water, but none of their number had more than sixteen years. Athenis was the oldest at almost sixteen, Kuriou was thirteen and Jalen was twelve. This made Them wonder if giving them a ship a good idea, and after this frigate was working then…it wouldn't be right to separate ways. They would like to take this group to a place They knew was safe. The group had requested Their assistance to getting to a Gek controlled portion of space that housed a big city.

They agreed because it seemed right to do so, as long as They continued toward the center. The Gek were hesitant but they asked their own questions. Most pertained to thing They couldn't answer for. What were they, what Their home was like. Those questions hurt. The Gek picked up on it and settled for easier ones. Advice on ships, weapons, and Their experiences since waking up. It was all in broken Vy'Keen but even They were learning a good bit of Gek…even if it was only swear words at first.

After sleeping in the small quarters of the trade ship; They felt the itch to set off again. Firing up the engines was met with celebration from everyone even Jalen who seemed irritated at everything most of the time. They managed to open a channel for communication between Their vessel and the newly renamed Dentaalin. With Their ship taking point, and the Dentaalin following with a completely open cargo hold, They planned to explore the last planet of this system.


	11. Data Entry from Someone Else

I'm still here but it really does seem that if my health doesn't kill me; college will. I am a bit behind to writing this compared to in game current but only by a star system. If the next chapter seems a bit vague on detail its cuz of all the info on the first atlas interface and four planets that I romped through.

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The last planet in this star system was called "Alzirtaka Nugzh" The atmosphere was not the thickest They had encountered but it was clear that it did snow on this world. The land was multi-colored with pink rock, green patches They assumed was grassland and snow where the star's light didn't touch in the deep valleys and mountain peaks. They landed in a clearing, devoid of the trees that were rather large and imposing. It looked very much like a taiga biome. The Dentaalin landed rather close to their vessel and They couldn't help but glance at Athenis in the pilot seat, but of course with Their helmet he couldn't see their expression. The waypoint declared this area the "Uhcho Woods" and it seemed rather expansive. With a deep breath, They steeled themselves for the next couple of days.

* * *

The group only stayed on Alzirtaka for a couple of sols. The main reason for staying was getting the components to make warp cells for the Dentaalin. The Gek managed to mine a modest amount of Emeril and They mined what They could of the deposits' as well. The Gek were not fond of the frigid nature of this planet and were prone to complain. It made Them not feel alone but at the same time a part of Them missed the relative silence of isolation. No matter, this was the new situation.

The last night on the planet They pulled up the galaxy map and They pointed to the next location the Atlas had given Them "Farvaavarm-Egkou." It was strange because Their database showed a small icon They didn't recognize. The warp was uneventful and this new system was a startling fuchsia in hue. There were three planets and as Their visor focused on these planets, They felt their heart speed up. These planets were discovered by another traveler.

Their mind went to many different places at once. Excitement, anxiety, curiosity and various other emotions all blurred into a seemingly large wave that completely encompassed Them.

The planets may have been discovered by someone else but the logs were not complete. At this They decided to finish the logs, not only for completion but also for the chance to find that traveler. If they hadn't already gone… The Gek didn't have the knowledge that these worlds had already been visited and were content to gather more resources. The first planet was a nice one, with pink skies and turquoise grasses and other vibrant flora. With the knowledge of the other two planets at hand They decided it was too dangerous for the Gek to go to those. After Kuriou made a communication beacon that would aid in coordinating They set off. The second planet had toxic rain that never let up, and was relatively barren anyway. The last one was supremely hot. Like during a storm, the temperature averaged 329 degrees Celsius. There was plenty of Radnox, which was quite rare and They harvested all They could find to turn some profit.

Finding the animals was not difficult and unlike the other star systems these planets had clear day/night cycles. One of the monoliths that they had found on the burning planet named "Davilliepi Joner" gave Them coordinates to a star system a bit off the path of Atlas. An…Interface? They radioed to the Dentaalin and got the location of the meeting spot. This was located back on the turquoise grass planet that they thought had been renamed by this unknown traveler. The name did not bring anything to mind so They mentally shrugged at it. There was a part of Them that hoped the traveler was still here. In any case if that traveler looked back in their log they would surely notice that someone else had filled it in? It would make Them curious if that had occurred to Them.

They brought up the Atlas Interface during meal time around the fire and the Gek seemed to go into deep thought. "Have to go?" asked Kuriou her voice and smell seemed to ooze nervousness. Athenis looked intrigued and Jalen was unreadable. "I think so." Is all They could reply with. The language gap didn't allow for much eloquent conversation. Athenis spoke calmly. "I will go with you; others can stop on planet nearby Atlas." This apparently caused a bit of a squabble and since it was in Gek, They could only look back and forth as the trio argued.

After a couple of moments, it settled, and Athenis again spoke. "We all go." Kuriou looked apprehensive, and Jalen seemed fairly akin to the idea. They reminded the group there was a star system that was in between the party and the interface. It wouldn't be a quick thing to hop to. After some talk everyone got out their sleeping gear. Sleeping bags on the ground because this world was balmy, no storms or severe temperature.

They crawled into Theirs and stared up into the fuchsia night sky. Their thoughts wandering back to the other traveler. The majority of Their thoughts had been fairly confident that They weren't the only traveler running around. But some of the time, when seeing nothing but Korvax, Gek or Vy'Keen and not a whisper of others…That is when doubt creeps in. A fear of the purest form of being alone…and solitude. No matter They had the facts that there is at least one other, but surely even more than that out there. While thinking on how a first encounter would go, They found Themselves falling asleep.

* * *

The morning duties were brief and after computing the coordinates into the Dentaalin, They entered Their ship and took off. The Dentaalin followed suit and soon the group was back into the magenta colored star system this planet resided in. They imputed the star coordinates and after a moment of checking, They engaged warp. The jump was short and this seemed to be a rather small system. Only a couple of planets and a single moon. There wasn't a space station so there wasn't any traffic in this system. The color of this star system was a tannish color, with little debris from asteroids or ships for that matter. Through the communicator They indicated that They wished to land on the moon first, due to the less amount of ground the group would have to go through if there were species on that moon.

Entering the moons atmosphere was turbulent and jolted the ship more than once, They kept checking to make sure the Dentaalin was not falling behind, or worse. When They broke through the clouds, Their heart sank a bit. This planet was covered in fungi, and various kinds of flora. The ship was reading that the planet was heavily irradiated and that did not bode well for the Gek with them. They established a comm link and through a trying process tried to explain what the problem was. Their Vy'Keen wasn't exactly up to the task but at least they relayed it was dangerous to leave the ships.

When They hopped out from the cockpit, even though They were insulated from the outside, They felt that the air was muggy, and rank. The reading from Their visor said that it was around 10.5 Rads of radiation which was very dangerous. They had already upgraded all of Their elemental shielding as high as They could; so for now They were safe. When the shields were low They could construct shielding plates from the plentiful amount of Iron so that wasn't really a danger to Them anymore. Not so for Their companions. The planet was named "Xiphiucclino", and though it was bizarre in appearance…They supposed a charm could be found. They figured that the first order of business is to get the components to make radioactive shielding for the Gek, so They wouldn't stay cooped up in the Dentaalin. Meanwhile They can collect the species data, and try to find gold deposits to build that warp drive upgrade.

The ground was crusty and dry, and there were various vents that spewed yellow radioactive gas into the atmosphere. The sky was a light yellow, almost always heavily clouded with various shades of yellow clouds. There were plants that had tentacles and writhing which was one of the more disturbing things They have encountered. There were huge fungal spores erupting from the ground and had to be a few meters in height. There were also trees that had broad green leaves, with thick, curving trunks that were scattered across the landscape. There were various rock formations that seemed like spikes and gave a slightly eerie look to the horizon.

They started collecting data on some flora near the ship, when a sound from above may Them pause and tilt Their head up. There were these creatures floating in the sky…They seemed serpentine in appearance and colored a dun color and just seemed to swim in the air. They had to be at least the length of their vessel if not a little more…It was so different to anything They've seen They watched the herd? Float through the sky, riding thermals or something of the like.

Shaking Their head to refocus They proceeded to collect the materials They needed and were mindful to the fauna both on land, _and_ sky. It took a couple of sols, and They had gone through a couple of shield plates already. A storm had taken Them by surprise, but that won't happen again. Every evening They went back into the Dentaalin and handed over the materials needed to make the radioactive shielding. The Gek had some gravtino orbs but not enough to make three shields only two. Kuriou decided she didn't want any and preferred to be on the ship anyway. Athenis was cataloguing the flora in an interested air since he was the first to get a shield and Jalen was next and seemed to stick close to Them. Out of the trio, Jalen was the more cryptic one. He had a bit of a violent streak and preferred to be withholding his opinion. His multi-tool was more geared toward his boltcaster and grenades. It also wasn't like They could be eloquent in Vy'Keen to try to talk to Jalen to see what was on his mind.

There weren't any gold deposits on the moon and there were only ten species to find and it was done quickly. There were a lot of these pods containing Calium but there was not an upgrade They needed so it was a good investment to collect for Units. Even this wasn't enough to keep Them here for long though. The Gek seemed ready to leave as well.

They decided to go to the parent planet to this moon and it was quick to arrive. The planet was by far more pleasant than its moon. The name it was designated by was "Tatlehperh Atsu." The sky was a light purple, with lime green grasses with the occasional hot pink broad leafed shrub. There were various trees and shrubs; purple or scarlet leaves and white trunks. Some of the trees seemed tropical in nature and was a mix between the scarlet and violet hues. The oceans were vast on this world and had a pink color to the water. The islands were various sizes and some of them had steep rock formations. The climate was relatively cool, with freezing rain otherwise it was a nice planet.

The first and only real disappointment was there was no gold on this planet, but there was Emeril crystals formed in the cave systems that ran through the islands. There was plenty of fauna and flora to catalogue. They decided to mine the Emeril so they had enough for the warp drive upgrade and hopefully the planet left in this system had the gold They needed. The Gek seemed content to playing in the pink oceans as They looked through the islands for all the fauna. A task They were finding was going to be a hard task to complete.

Through the process of finding all the fauna, during one of the nights They were out on this small island that was just off one of the large islands with Jalen in tow. Jalen seemed to be irritated from the all the talking the other two did and decided to accompany Them. It was a comfort to a degree because Jalen would watch Their back, but They were curious to what went through his mind.

A low metal grinding sound caused both of them to pause. Up on the farthest point of the hill was a monolith, and it was of a type They had not encountered before. It was shaped like a dish with inner rings that rotated slowly in the dish proper. The lines of the monolith glowed blue. They stepped on the pedestal and saw the name of this monolith. " **Remnants of Argestif-Lubi**." An image showed before them both. "An ancient warrior's feet and legs slowly emerge from the bottom of the monolith. The rest of its torso then follows, unceremoniously pushed out onto the alien turf. It has been decapitated. Blood drips at my feet and high above me and high above me a disembodied head laughs at my shock. It shouts a guttural command of encouragement down to me. Behind, I hear an ancient blade unsheathe, and someone rushing toward me…" They stood Their ground and the vision was gone even as They heard the praise from above.

A clatter came from behind and They turned to see a Vy'Keen dagger laying down on the pedestal. They bent down and grasped the hilt. It was a bit longer than the daggers They had encountered before and seemed to have a silver-blue sheen to the blade unlike the coppery ones They had encountered. The weapon was denser than it appeared and They gave it a slight swing. The metal almost seemed to hum through the air as it arced. Jalen said a single Vy'Keen word. "good." After a moment of looking on their person to see where They could wear it, it was decided They would just head back the way They came.

After mining 2000 pieces of Emeril ore and finding all the fauna the group jumped to the last planet in the "Vedbotalogdank III" star system. It was a frigid planet, dusted with snow from yellow skies. It was mostly forests with little vales and broad mountains. This planet was not visited long, as if some entity had taken pity on the group there was plenty of gold on this world and most of the time was making components for the ships and the shielding components. The gek had an interesting time making the rest of the components for the theta warp drive. Both ships needed it because the group _was_ traveling together.

Installing took a better part of a week, Athenis finishing out the fauna catalog for the planet on an accident since he had been looking for components to make a couple of warp cells. With all the upgrades that could be done were the group was anxious to be off. The star map indicated where the interface was only another jump away. Over that last supper in the current star system They agreed the morning the group would depart.


	12. Atlas Alpha

HEY GUYS! pagan here... My gods its been an interesting month. But I am still here and alive against a lot of adversity. Note there might be a few more typos because I am so very, very tired but I wanted to get this out there. Also finals are in two weeks so don't be surprised about no update but who knows I may surprise myself. Also I will have a much needed vacation that may or may not have wifi. If not then well I can't exactly upload anything can I? But I can write and hopefully get ahead maybe? Game note: this chapter is before the foundation update! I still am a star system ahead after the one the gang warps too so I will let you know when I get to the point of Their journey when the update became active. Still salty about . . . I can't even find my way back to find them all again. I guess this journal is important in that regard. later.

* * *

" _Hey…Thank you for sticking up for me, those guys were complete jerks. I never introduced myself. My name is…"_ They were startled awake by Athenis making a banging sound as he loaded the Dentaalin up. They refrained from groaning in exasperation. They were going to finally hear the person's name! No matter…hopefully another dream will come along and inform Them.

They got up slowly, the floor of the Dentaalin was not the easiest thing to sleep on, but They also preferred the mobile shelter it provided. Kuriou placed a gloved hand on Their shoulder asking if They were alright. They nodded once and slowly got around to making the preparations for takeoff. There was nervousness about making the jump, because the possibility had doubled with two ships and a tinkered on warp reactors. Athenis suggested that Their craft be stored into the Dentaalin and while They truly considered it, They decided against it. It should be fine as long as the group's communication devices linking the two ships did not go out.

They departed the snowy planet, and after a brief check of systems from both ships, both engaged warp.

The first thing They noticed was that the star system "Ulfiliestma-Mady" was a bright electric green in color. It took Them a moment before They glanced around. The interface was to Their left and was far more imposing than any space station or even monoliths They had already encountered. They sent a textual message to the Dentaalin to wait, while They investigated first. As They edged Their ship toward the structure, taking note of its dark gray, diamond like appearance. The front part opened outward into a circle that led into the interface, and after a brief hesitation on Their part, They moved forward till the tractor beam pulled the ship in. Unlike the space stations Their ship moved quite a bit more slowly, with the opening closing Them in. This caused a spark of wariness in Their mind. Hopefully leaving was still an option. Their ship landed on the only available place to dock Their ship. They got out of the cockpit even as Their eyes were riveted to the sight before Them.

In the dead center was this huge red orb. It revolved in the air and every once and a while a pulse went through the sphere and the surface of the orb became spikes before residing in a sphere shape again. Almost like a heartbeat… The ceiling had a clear roof so They could see out into the bright green star system. The ship was on this dais with a lower platform beneath it. The walls were the dark gray and there did not appear to be any other living thing in this structure. Red lighting pulsed through the walls in timing with the orb rhythm. They slowly descended onto the connecting platform the other platform containing the orb. Their boots echoed eerily in the silence.

They crossed the platform and climbed up the bit of stairs to be closer to the orb. It seemed like there was an interface in conjugation with the orb. A moment of hesitation later They touched the access panel and heard words of an ancient language fill Their mind. "It is alien; unlike anything I have ever seen before. I should be afraid, but an inexorable pull draws me toward the heart of the construct. A need to know. This is a remnant of the Atlas. It welcomes me, it knows what I am. It offers the promise of true understanding, the Intent burns in me. I will peer into the structure of causality and know this existence. If it is real, or some incalculably vast simulacrum authored by other intelligence."

Energy enters through Them and it takes Them to their knees. The Atlas shows Them another interface, and then everything goes dark.

* * *

The first thing They notice is that They seem to not be where They fell unconscious at. There was no Atlas…just a room with avian sounding calls from a window. The wind felt nice…though They knew not how They could feel it. They got up from the bed slowly. None of the architecture was like any of the alien races They had encountered…. Were They home?

It took a moment to navigate the dwelling They found themselves in, and were drawn in by a clattering sound from another room. The being They saw made Their whole body freeze.

It was another being like Them, how They knew was a mystery. This one had long yellow hair and was shorter than Their stature. This being was flitting around the room grabbing things and placing it all on a table. "There you are! Come on we don't have time to be lazy, you need to get the Fahrenheit prepped for launch and I quite frankly do not wish to have my arse chewed out by Director Edwin." This flurry of words was matched with the person spinning about to where she faced Them. The lady held out her hand with a smile and bright blue eyes. When They grasped the hand everything went black again.

They came to quickly, and sprung up in alarm. The interface hummed around Them but it was still ever quiet and still. What had that been? Clearly a memory the Atlas gave Them. A memory of Theirs… The girls name was still gone but a part of past knowledge shown through. They had been a pilot. The Fahrenheit had been the name of Their ship. The importance of the name was still gone but there was still a personal meaning behind the name if only in emotion. However small that memory…at least They had it back. More would follow.

They headed back to Their ship and noted that another interface was located but since it was further away from the center They were not going to pay it any mind. Their mind was still heavily focused on re-remembering but They entered Their ship and took off. It was a relief to know the interface let Them go without an iota of resistance.

As soon as They entered the outside again Their radio was blaring alarmed Gek speech. They sent a message that They were alright and decided to head to the single moon of this system first.

The moon "Ausemepatjak" was a dead moon with no life and hardly any atmosphere. The group collected six waystation points and went to the parent planet called "Cigiltsukt Hiverdi." The first point They had landed on was Ereldwe Glacier and if the name did not contain useful insight on the planets temperature, One can be assured it was cursed cold.

It was a beautiful planet despite this. Huge portions of forests with fuchsia colored foliage that was covered in a lot of snow. The planet was rather mountainous…and comprised of large islands not continents. Due to the light pink sky the water appeared as a magenta pink. There was a lot of life to catalogue and it was not going to be a pleasant endeavor.

The Gek seemed to think this was a perfect planet to complain all the time. Their nerves still shot from thinking They may have been killed by the Atlas not a sol ago. Granted the Gek were not suited for the cold and it was a necessary sacrifice to have the Gek stay around the ships and with access to the Dentaalin warmth from its interior. They gathered the materials from this world and tried to find all the fauna. Keyword is try.

After 31 sols They gave up on finding the last of the 14 species that was supposed to be found in this world. They had checked the few caves, the skies, the oceans and the mountainous islands but to no avail. The Gek had made all the gear their suits would require for more strenuous planets and improved on the Dentaalin's offensive capabilities.

Since the dream/memory They were looking for another ship. The Korvax vessel They have had has been a good one. But not the kind of ship They wished to have in the long run. The next planet was another completely dead one with no atmosphere by the name of "Vuiariva Udola." This system was inhabited by Gek but the group seemed convinced there was not any decent sized cities in this system. What readings They could glean from the scans seemed to confirm this. After collecting the waystations on Udola, the group headed to the last planet called Kesproddal AC323.

This planet was more of the desert variety with a red sky and reddish brown earth. There was various arid looking flora and no fauna on this planet but the group decided to mine some gold deposits to earn some more Units.

The planet did have storms that was more of a heat wave that kicked the dirt into the atmosphere casting everything in a hazy appearance. The group had split up with They going to the north into "Lawhee Plains" with the Gek going toward the mountains to find cover in the caves where gold should be there for the taking.

They were still running over the memory in Their head. They had decided that it had been at Their home planet, the feeling in Their gut told Them as much. As to the woman They were at a loss. It was the same voice as before but seeing them again gave Them no insights just who that person was and why They would care. Had it been a sibling? Or just a house partner? From Their communicator a distressed Gek's voice They identified as Athenis came to wipe the memory from Their thoughts.

After a moment to translate the gist of Athenis's words They took off at a jog toward the location the Gek were going. Kuriou had apparently fallen down into a crevice and while appeared alive was now unconscious. It took an hour to reach Athenis and Jalen. Jalen waving Them over. The crevice was narrow…a bit too small for Them to fit…Aiming Their multi-tool close to the ground They shot one plasma grenade which due to the point-blank range caused a lot of damage to Their shielding, but incinerated the rock so it would not fall onto Kuriou.

They climbed down into the space slowly. The blast should've bound the rock so it would not be loose but They were going to stay cautious. Once They were next to Kuriou They checked her vitals and were relieved that yes, she was unconscious but still very much alive. Athenis threw down some cable fibers to attach Kuriou to, and slowly They used Their jetpack to lift Them both to the top. This was slower due to the extra weight but it resolved itself. They lifted Kuriou out of the crater and then heaved Themselves out as well.

They transported Kuriou to the Dentaalin and were quick to assess the damage, and to everyone's dismay Kuriou's leg was broken. The Gek were not the best to heal on land and required to be submerged in water to heal properly. The only planet with water in this system was too cold for Kuriou to be in so it gave them little choice but to leave for another star system in prayer They could find one.

Once Kuriou was secured safely in her quarters with Athenis monitoring her the group made plans to jump to the next system. Praying for water that could be used to spare Kuriou's life.


	13. A Priest and a Watcher

Heya Pagan Here! Sorry for the delay I was graduating college and finals and all that ick. Also I am vacationing in TX without much in the way of wifi so that's why I've been silent. I am still writing however! The next chapter is when the foundation update takes place.

gr1167 thank you for favoring this story! I love No Man's Sky for the record. I have always been a Star Trek fan and I love how I can discover new planet's and its a relatively tame,easy game. With the foundation update its added difficulty and base building so yeah... minecraft but with space really. As for FF XV I have it but have not played it due to the fact that my game console is 1100 miles away from me. But when I return from vacation on 01/14/17 I will play it that night so I can let you know. Just remind me! I forget easy! I don't have KH 2.8 yet so I don't know much about it yet. I need to finish 2.5 first to be honest. College kinda wrecks the free time. And I don't mind the line of questions! If you have a Tumblr its Paganwanderer072 is my main blog.

* * *

The next system the group warped to had four planets in the system. The system itself was a mixture of colors but not nebulous as most the other ones They had encountered. A lot like the first system They had woken up in; Eatkomstehan.

Their scanners showed there was some sort of space anomaly, but since water was the top priority They paid it little mind except its location. The first planet the group landed on was "Zoquessissan." Their hopes were soon dashed after They entered the atmosphere. This planet was nothing but desert with looming bulbous plants that tried to touch the sky. The temperature read 51.1°C so water would be liquid but They would have to have Their heat shielding always on here.

Without landing They went to the next closest planet with the Dentaalin still in orbit trying to scan the other planets. This planet was called "Odern Gstsiia." When They landed the scanner showed that there was no life on this world and little flora as well. The ground was a deep blue with the shifting from green in the day, to a more yellow and orange as night approached. Like a rainbow of sorts.

They spent a few hours trying to locate aboveground or underground water that could be accessed but to no avail. Frustrated and knowing Kuriou's life kind of depended on this was more than nerve wracking. After getting in Their ship and hailing the Dentaalin there was no response…After looking at the marker where it should have been being gone as well. They darted out of the atmosphere toward where it was last known. They would've heard the ship had it been attacked, unless pirates had jammed the signal…no…There wasn't any debris anywhere near here and no antimatter particles left from warp trails. So it wasn't taken away either. Their ship informed Them of that disturbance again and They paused. Was this anomaly the reason for this? Turning the ship toward its direction They used the pulse drive to get close…They wanted to make sure it wasn't a black hole to suck Them in and crush all that They were into nonexistence.

The structure was spherical in nature…but not the common space station nor an Atlas interface either. As They circled it slowly Trying to see an entrance or weapons They were startled when a voice came through their comm system without any part of their doing. "Do not be afraid, your companions are here and we have the hatch open for you." It was a deep melodious voice, which was rather nice sounding but the biggest difference was it spoke Their language! Was it another Traveler?

This 'hatch' was open and after a moment of hesitation They guided Their ship in. The Dentaalin was parked on the side and it was a rather tight fit for both of the ships to be in this space. They hopped out and carried Their multi-tool at the ready on boltcaster mode. A friendly voice could be the lure of a trap. They had lived too long to hopefully not tricked into such folly but Their concern for Their team made Them take this risk. The innermost part of this structure was spherical as well. When the locks unsealed the door They peered in cautiously and couldn't help but stare at what They saw.

The first thing that caught Their attention was the bright light that was dead center of the structure. It had a couple of gold rings revolving around it hypnotically. A beam of cyan blue light pierced this to go into the ceiling and the receptacle below. There were Jalen and Athenis and they appeared to be conversing with another Gek. There was a tall Korvax overseeing the group of Gek clatter about in their language. The priest looked toward Them and gestured for Their presence.

The Korvax observed Them for a moment before he speaks; perfectly in Their language. "Rare linguistic form I see. My pleasure! I am Nada, divergent Korvax. I offered assistance to your companions, and I offer some to you Star Wanderer. Of which? Route to the galactic core? Reconnect with the Atlas for guidance? Or resources for your journey? Yes, or no?"

They looked toward Athenis and Jalen almost unconsciously and Nada spoke again "Worry not, whatever path you choose. I see them following you." Though They never really needed Their voice for much, much less Their language, They answered. Their voice hoarse from disuse. "I need to get to the center. If there is a way to cut the distance away I would take that."

Nada nodded once and gestured with his hand. Their visor went blank for a second before coming back online with a message that a black hole was in a nearby system. "Won't the black hole crush me? The amount of gravity and relative time lost…" They all but sputtered at the information. Nada gazed at Them a moment before answering "Of the two ways…jumping to each star slowly toward the center or a single jump that spans many stars. Both take a lot of time. But the single jump makes less room for some planetary creature or cosmic pirate to have a chance to kill you before you meet your goal. Whatever you choose is up to you, and you alone."

With that parting advice Nada walked back up a ramp to oversee the energy collected from the receptacle. Clearly dismissed They holstered Their weapon and went to Athenis first, worried about Kuriou. At Their step Athenis looked up and called out happily. "They heal her as we talk! Much rejoice! Nada is stern. Polo much more personable, talk to him!" Due to this space station Athenis's Gek speak was translated and spoken in Their language. They nodded so Athenis knew They acknowledged him, since the visor of Theirs prevented Their face and emotions to be shown.

"Ah a Traveler! Welcome, welcome! My name is Polo and I run many tests and watch this galaxy for the results. A watcher if you will." Polo gestured warmly at Them, his beak mimicking the best smile he could. He was a yellow and green Gek much like Athenis's build. He had some sort of goggles on covering most of his face. "A question traveler!" He hailed Them and without anything better to do They listened. "Units this, units that. A strange, sad way to live life eh? Fill your pockets with them, we'll find out why they make all these worlds go round." Since They had already amassed a decent amount They transmitted Their data to Polo after some assistance from the excited Gek and he was off to run analyses from what They gathered from his exuberant chattering.

Athenis elbowed Them slightly to catch Their attention "They gave us lodging for a 'night' if you will. Kuriou will wake in a few hours. Let's rest and greet her?" Athenis's voice started out certain but his tone was questioning in the end. They gave a brief nod and the two Gek ushered Them to the group's room.

Hours later They found Themselves unable to sleep and took to walking around the main part of this place. Watching the light flicker with its gold rings revolving. Their mind was unsettled but why They couldn't discern. What few dreams They had been terrible flashes of nightmares filled with loud sounds and screams. Those images almost had Them calling out when They jolted awake not a couple of moments before. They removed Their helmet and couldn't help the sigh that escaped. Sometimes it was stifling to wear. Thankfully this air was breathable to Them. If a little low on oxygen.

"I wish I could say I'm surprised at your wakefulness, but I am not." Came Nada's deep voice from Their left. They shifted their weight a bit but said nothing. Their mind too turbulent to muster a response. He walked to he was a few feet from Their person but no closer. They didn't know it but if you looked at Their person you could see Them trembling. "Sit down, your mind is too taxed at this moment. Breathe deep." After a moment to process what the Korvax said They shakily did so.

After They settled, Nada folded his legs cautiously and sat beside Them. "Listen to the sounds of this place, and my voice, look and notice the fine markings on the walls, smell the air that is devoid of unpleasant stench, take my hand. You are here, not wherever your mind think it is. I know that is in your far past." They did these things slowly, some easier than others. When They finally were able to reach for Nada's hand They felt the panic recede, more conscious how Their body shook from the intensity of whatever had gripped Them.

Nada's other hand came to cup Their face so he could peer at Their face. They wished They had the strength to pull away, hating being so exposed but whatever ill had taken Their mind had drained Them. "Peace, I see you feel as a monster, though you don't know why. I will tell you what I see. You are different then the few Traveler's I have come across. Not just appearance and build. Sometimes I wonder if there is a hidden rule that no two Traveler's look or act the same. Some seem more academic and not athletic in the least, some quite the entrepreneurs, and then some like you, battle worn, or most specifically battle weary. Much like the three races of this galaxy.

Those like you some are simple things. Enough resources to live and only to get to the center, others far more complex much like you. I believe what you're experiencing is what the Vy'Keen call Kalkunui. Its where some of their warriors get flashbacks to the most trying of their battles and relive these memories to try to process this, but makes your current mind unable to handle much else and leaves you feeling weak. Is this not what it feels like to you?"

It was a flood of information and They held on to his words. There were other traveler's, this wasn't something only They felt. They were not alone… "Only time will heal these wounds that your past clearly sustained even if the Atlas stole those memories from your conscious mind. But I feel like you know this. What I see when I look at you is no monster, I see a warrior. You look cosmetically different from your comrades but nothing to be ashamed of nor feared. I hope you heed my words. Though perhaps some will take longer to sink in than others."

* * *

At this Nada gathered his legs and became upright again. He left Them to Their thoughts, which contained nothing but his words. Going over them once more.

When morning 'dawned' They roused Themselves from Their slumber. In the process of mulling over Nada's words They had fallen asleep on the floor of the main console area. Polo patted Them on the back a bit before They stood up stiffly. They were ushered down a hallway and into a room purposed to be the medical bay, with Kuriou submerged in a glass tube like structure. She still seemed to resting. Polo went to the control panel and started pressing buttons as Athenis and Jalen came up behind Them to stand at Their shoulders.

The first thing They noticed was Kuriou seemed to huff some bubbles and her hands twitched a bit. Suddenly, she was quite awake; flailing her arms and legs about and looked completely bewildered. At the sight of the group she stopped thrashing as much. The water started to drain and a moment later it was all gone with the glass casing receding into the floor as well. Kuriou stumbled from the dais and They were quick to step forward and catch her before Polo could react.

"What happened? Where are we? You look dreadful!" Athenis was quick to answer her questions even with Them still frowning at her statement. Little sleep could do that to anyone…not just Them.

After she was informed the group spent a couple of moments to decide what they would all do. They settled on letting Kuriou rest a bit more with Athenis and Jalen at this station while They discovered the two other planets of this system before jumping to the next system with the black hole within.

The two other planets were also desert like planets like the other two of this star system. There was fauna to find but They already decided to not concern Themselves cataloging them all. One of the planets had none and was nothing but flat fields with large aluminum structures. The other was a rusty colored planet and was little else but deep canyons and plateaus. After storing a portion of Aluminum They returned to the station greeted by the group of Gek getting the Dentaalin properly resourced for a couple of jumps if the amount of cargo was anything to go by.

Athenis informed Them that while Nada and Polo wouldn't see the group off, the duo wished them all the success they could achieve. After a quick check with the communication systems tying the two ships the group departed with Them taking point. The system with the black hole was an adjacent system from this one. It contained four planets and was called "Kufslontel-Race VIII." With one last look to Nada and Polo's station the group engaged warp.


	14. Fahrenheit

Heya Guys Pagan here and I am offically back from vacation!. I will also note that is probably the longest chapter so far so be prepared! There are a few page breaks that just kinda had to be here. I will try to work on that. I had a question for you guys if you wanted to answer. Would it be better to post on Archive of our Own? I would probably still post to both but I wondered if some of you preferred AO3. Let me know!

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The first thing They saw when Their ship went out of warp was the black and purple void of the black hole surrounded by a vibrant orange background of the nebula containing star system. Alerting the Dentaalin of its close proximity the ships skirted around it to where none of the ships would get pulled into its horizon till the group deemed it necessary. They decided to go to the planet the farthest away from the other planets.

It was a smaller planet and when the group arrived night had already fallen. The name it went by was "Kuhnekotlasovo." The night sky was that vibrant orange with the occasional darker purple looking cloud. It was yet another desert planet but of a colder variety that the four before it. There had to be plenty of water available for cyan colored grasses and tall cacti were abundant. The rock formations showed that wind erosion had been a factor in shaping most of the geological structures of this world.

Gold was in abundant pockets which was conductive to making a lot of Units in a short time. There was some fauna to be catalogued and it was an easy endeavor unlike most of the other planets They had come across.

The day brought an acid green sky that contrasted with the earthy browns of the ground. Besides some of the cyan blue fields of grasses that dotted the landscape there was a lime green colored grass closer to the few caves of the planet. In one such cyan field the waypoint was a terminal that They were able to sell most of the gold They had collected. Kuriou seemed to want to stay close to Them, and Athenis and Jalen mined near whatever camp the group had made.

After mining gold for another sol Kuriou and They were looking for another outpost as the sun set. They came across a huge trading depot and as They sold their goods is when It landed.

It was clearly a fighter class ship. It had a sharp nose that could easily house a phase beam mounting coupled with an angled cockpit. The wings were a moderate horizontal wing that pointed slightly down. With a little up wing on the very tips of the wings. There was another wing protruding from the main engine pointed toward the sky and was larger than the other two wings. The main engine was large and covered most of the back. There were other auxiliary engines that were attached to each side wing and the main body. The underbelly of the ship was silver with the rest of the ship a dusty blue with yellow lettering and a yellow and pink circle decal on the side wings.

They knew They had to have this ship. They transferred all of their stored resources to a surprised Kuriou and They went to talk with the Gek that manned the vessel. The Gek seemed overjoyed to discuss the selling of the ship and 10,000,000 Units later the ship became Theirs. The scientific Korvax vessel name had changed to simply say "Tifalura."

Kuriou helped Them transfer Their resources into the new ship that did have more space. The cannons had the max damage upgrade and had a pulse drive upgrade.

* * *

There was an amount of sols where time was spent to upgrading the ship to Their standards. More weapon mods that required Omegon which They had stored in advance for such a situation. The resources They kept stored on Their ship was for upgrading to the highest tier of technology They have. The only works in progress was a better accelerated fire Theta and the warp reactor theta. They were going to make the warp reactor piece first and it requires 3 dynamic resonators, 1000 gold and 1000 Emeril. The gold was easily harvested and stored for this planet had hills of the element. They decided that making the dynamic resonators could be the groups job as They were going to find Emeril. All what They had was used in previous upgrades.

The night after all the upgrades were done the group was situated around a fire, with the remains of dinner already tossed into the fire pit. They were not exactly attending the group's discussion as They were next to Their ship with a small brush like device in Their hand. They were settled on Their haunches as They briefly ran a hand over the bow just under the cockpit on the right side.

"What are you doing?" came a voice suddenly and They startled with a yelp and wind milled backwards. Kuriou steadied Them and They noticed the group of Gek were clustered around Their person. Thanks to Nada and Polo, the group of Gek had a translator that helped them speak Their language, and what They answer with could be translated into Gek for them. A gift that was very useful. For now, true conversations could take place.

"I was about to paint something on my ship. Did you guys need something?" The trio looked at each other briefly before looking back at Them. "You are painting something? Of what?" Kuriou sounded a bit excited. After a small time with her They understood she was a more…creative soul. Decorating was a hobby of hers. "Something…important. If you guys insist on watching, please try to be quiet so I can concentrate on making it."

With that warning in place, They went back to angling the mini tool at a slight angle. The paint was yellow to match the decals it already had, but this time it was Their language. A single word: _Fahrenheit_.

They did not recall exactly what Their old vessel looked like but They felt there was a good bit of similarity between this vessel and the old one. Hell, They still did not recall what Fahrenheit even meant in Their language. Though it was a term associated with science, and that was all. Even without the memories the name held an emotional weight They wished They could understand. Why did the name give Them such a melancholic feeling? Thankfully, Their hand did not shake and the lettering was clear and distinct.

They heard Athenis huff as he tried to read what it said, but the translator didn't cover Their writing. "What does it say?" came the soft voice of Jalen, unexpected. Swallowing the lump in Their throat even as They felt Their eyes start to water They answered him. "It says Fahrenheit. It was the name of my old ship. I felt like it should have been done." At that They felt three pairs of hands pat consolingly even as They struggled to not cry like a child.

* * *

Morning was a groggy affair since sleep eluded Them most of the night. Not buyer's remorse or anything like that, but more concerning the fact that there was still a vast unknown stretched out before Them and not a real way to know what would happen until They were in the midst of it. None of this thought was really productive to sleeping well as one could imagine. They ate breakfast somewhat in a mental haze even as the Gek scurried around getting things packed. Since no Emeril was to be found on this planet for Their warp reactor upgrade, it was off to one of the other planets in the system. The black hole would obviously be visited last.

They rolled Their shoulders a bit to try to be rid of the soreness caused by sleeping on the cold ground of this world but that only did so much. Athenis and Jalen had packed the Dentaalin fully and only a couple adjustments to the Fahrenheit needed to be made to ensure safety in its first pulse jump. First, meaning after a heavy modification period for the vessel and the first jump while in Their possession.

Breakfast was a lack luster affair and after gulping the semi fluid slush down and drinking some water They hopped into the cockpit of the Fahrenheit to run its system test. The first thing to test was its weapons. The phase beam and the torpedoes fired when instructed to do so but one of the photon cannons…the right one was slightly bent so instead of two straight lines of fire the right side slightly veered off more to the right. They took note so They could fix the mounting later. The second most important system was the shielding. Which the modification for the best shielding worked exactly as it should. The thrusters were online and fueled and the pulse drive seemed to be in working order with its own upgrade. After those few tests They signaled the Dentaalin that the ship was fully operational and to start ascent off the planet.

One thing They noticed in the first few moments of piloting this new vessel was it was way more responsive to Their hand. Something that caused a mixed feeling of glee/satisfaction within Them that They wanted to question but didn't since They needed to concentrate on more important things. Such as the asteroid field surrounding this planet and making sure They did not hit one.

"Do you hear that?" Came Athenis's voice from the comm system. They turned up The local chatter on the comm panel and heard distinct Vy'Keen voices demanding a Gek freighter to surrender its cargo. They sighed…It was probably best to keep Their nose out of this but They also knew it would nag at Them if They did nothing about it either. They told the Dentaalin to stay close to the planet the group just left in case they needed to flee. They would engage the hostiles. One zoomed past Them and with empty space in front of that one ship They opened fire on it with the beam.

They heard alarmed yelps over the radio but it was silenced as the vessel exploded in silence. No sound in space after all. Now there were five angry pirates after Them more than the freighter now. The freighter was firing on the others but it didn't have much range. With a maneuver They dodged an array of fire from the incoming ships and went into a slight descent to lead the other ships away so They could fire on them with impunity. They disabled one of the ships by hitting one of its side engines and They heard its pilot howl at Them. No doubt a kind word was not present in his rambled speech.

Their shield got severe damage from a vessel from behind, and They rushed to recharge it with the titanium stored on Their person. This caused Them to veer a bit off course into a debris field which shielded Their left flank as the other two ships fired on Them. Not good for the fact They hit a couple of pieces floating about. They shot off the beam again and another ship was down. Thank the stars for the modifications made. They heard more yelling on the comm and something was shot from both of the ships. They tried to evade this net looking projectile but it caught on the topmost wing and suddenly a lot of electricity arced through the ship as if struck by lightning. Some metal of Their suit must have been in contact with metal of the ship for as everything flickered from the overload; pain shot up from Their shoulders and arms into the rest of Their body. They screamed as the pain went far past the levels They had ever remembered going through and blackness washed over like a mental tide.

* * *

The first thing They noticed when They woke up was that They were cold. They shifted Their body that was quite sore and noticed They were not wearing Their suit. This caused Them to open Their eyes in alarm. The sight of a small room greeted Them and after a moment They discerned it looked similar to a space station's kind of design and since the view from the window showed nothing but the orange nebula of the system They had been visiting. They got up cautiously and even still Their legs were not steady. They recalled the electrical surge that had happened to the ship…They supposed Their suit was caught in all of that. It was not found anywhere in the small room.

Without looking too closely They felt They were wearing the inner garments They had before. So, They were decent at least. There were Their suit's boots closest to the door and after a couple of moments of struggling to get Them on in Their weakened state, They hesitantly poked Their head through the door leading into a long hallway. They were correct in this being a space station and this was the rentable rooms section of it. Using a hand to run Their hand over the wall in case They needed support, They walked through the hallway till They were in the reception area for the rooms.

The Gek at the station made a strange noise even as it rushed to Them, hands outstretched like the Gek was afraid They would fall. It was one of the Gek that had a more snail like eyes that were lavender in color and had a bit of a wider head than Kuriou or the others. Speaking of…Where were they? The reddish Gek spoke softly and the only words They could make out was "friends and docking bay" which was unfortunate for without a suit, They couldn't go through that area of the station.

They refrained from making an aggravated noise at the Gek. It was not its fault that They were clearly hurt. After enough gentle pushing the Gek managed to seat Them and hurried over back to its desk and typed something quickly there. Not a moment later Kuriou came bursting into the area and after a moment of glancing around the room and catching sight of Them barreled toward Them. They had just enough time to lift Their arms when Kuriou hugged Them…very, very tightly.

"We thought you were going to die! By our ancestors please try not to scare us like that again!" If a Gek could cry Kuriou probably would be as she warbled sadly. They patted Kuriou kind of slowly still in a bit of a daze. "What happened?" They managed to rasp out. Kuriou decided that sitting across from Them was too far and pulled the other chair over so she could be close to Their person.

"Well when you were hit with the disabling net, we could not hail you. We heard you cry out and we positioned the Dentaalin between you and the other pirates. Athenis was keeping the shields up while Jalen fought off the pirates. You should have seen Jalen…he was beyond furious. I know he isn't part Vy'Keen but he nearly went into a blood rage like one at the thought of you being hurt. The freighter then was able to destroy the rest of the pirates since we drew the fire off of their ships. Speaking of the Owner of the company the freighter belonged to warped in to see us. He is very, very thankful to us saving his profit, we have not met much since we wanted to wait to see if you would wake up…it's been around 15 sols. They said that your nervous system runs on some sort of electrical organic pathways. So the electricity really messed a lot of stuff up. Though it looks like that doctor was able to patch you up better again." It was a bit hurried due to the fact that was how Kuriou talked but still quite of bit of knowledge.

"What happened to my suit…Did the Fahrenheit survive?" Those were probably the two most concerns They had now. Kuriou looked thoughtful "I'm not well with technical stuff. Athenis should tell you what went on better than I. The ship is alright and has already gone through repairs. Though a couple things are different. I believe the same goes for the suit and your multi-tool was also damaged. We should speak to the Owner. He has been waiting a few sols now." They sighed. At least it seemed that this was only a bit of a delay and hopefully not too costly. The Fahrenheit had a lot of top tier upgrades and was not a cheap ship to begin with. Their suit…They had no idea. "My multi-tool also got damage?" this was more of an annoyance than the fear over Their suit and ship had been.

Kuriou nodded but informed Them that it was minor. At least it appeared to be minor she said. Kuriou helped Them to Their feet and put an arm to support Them as they made their way into the better rooms available to more wealthy guests. A couple of hallways after and Their right leg aching to rest they came to this door coupled with a couple of exotic potted plants and a guard outside. At looking at Kuriou the sturdy looking Gek gave them both a curt nod and went back to looking ahead.

These rooms were lavishly furnished with comfortable seating and fabric hanging from the walls to make it seem less…mechanical perhaps? Plants were everywhere else it seemed and made the rooms almost seem more like a greenhouse than living rooms…. was it hot in here or was it Them…?

A Gek came out from one of the rooms and clapped his hands in delight. "So my hero has awoken! It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He was dressed in lavish robes of white and gold and seemed to be an older Gek. There was some sort of head piece he wore but They knew not what it signified. They managed to straighten a bit and They towered over both Kuriou and this trader. He came forward peering up at Them with curiosity blazing in his eyes. "Forgive my staring, I've only encountered another Traveler and that one always wore its suit. You are the first I've seen without one. Even so you are quite taller and look like a stronger one than the one I encountered was." All They could do was blink at that. They did not know what to answer that with.

"Now your companions have been quite nice to converse with…if a bit young. Since you saved my operation I've footed the bill of repairing your ship and equipment. Though your suit required to be almost newly made. It was quite damaged after this whole ordeal." They managed to stammer a thank you at the generosity but the Gek waved his hand dismissively. "Think naught of it, warrior. I am in your debt. In fact, I have another gift for you and your companions." With a pause he continued "I am granting you building rights. This means that you will be able to build on some areas on any planet you come across that has taken your fancy. You just have to find an area first. Most of the instructions can be found at one of those bases. Your new suit has the clearance chip embedded in it so you can access those habitable bases."

"With all respect, how could I build a base somewhere when I must travel toward to center of this galaxy?" They didn't know how it could be possible to run…a homestead basically. The Gek laughed. "Oh there are warp gates free to those that have the building rights and your ship is also registered in your new suit and warps with you, and it won't use any of your warp cells either. So, whenever you're sick of traveling you have a place to rest those feet of yours."

It was almost too good to be true…an actual home despite Their constant travel…The Gek handed Them a card "Now if you ever need a freighter to haul your resources do not be afraid to hail me. To what may I call you?" At his question They all but blanked…They had no name that They recalled…Kuriou was the one to answer him. "Their ship is the Fahrenheit, just as ours is the Dentaalin. That should be enough information provided we give you our ship codes to match it, yes?" The Gek stroked his throat and murmured "Far-en-height? That must be a word from the traveler language. Most splendid. It is enough. Good profit and clear skies new friends."

At that parting the Gek gave a nod and was about to leave when They managed to ask "Forgive me but I never caught your name?" The Gek seemed surprised but was quick to answer "My name is Corigan. Rest up traveler." With that talk out of the way Kuriou was quick to usher Them back toward the resting area which They dug Their heels in. Granted They were weakened but They had been idle for too long and wanted Their suit back. They felt…way too exposed to be remotely comfortable. "You need rest!" came Kuriou's cry and They shot back just as quick "I can rest while piloting my ship! I do not like being so confined and without my gear." Kuriou had clenched her beak in a clearly dissatisfied grimace. They knew not what Their face looked like but after a moment Kuriou sighed.

"I know you do…I just like seeing you like this." They couldn't help but tilt Their head at that. Looked like what? Kuriou started to lead Them toward another area of the station and while her gaze was cast downward she spoke her answer quietly. "When you're all geared up we can't…See you. I know you're not a robot or some such but even still it's hard to read you when we can't see what expressions you use and you seem…more subdued with the suit on. I know they would hate me saying this but Athenis and Jalen; I think feel the same way. When you were just lying there completely unaware of everything do you know how long we all watched you? Most was concern, but also we have not seen much of you…" She trailed off apparently losing her nerve to continue further.

Another voice started to speak, it belonged to Athenis who joined their company. "We realized that we did not know much about you. Granted you've said that your memories are mostly gone but that does not mean you cannot speak your mind? You may be a being that does not speak much but we would all like to hear more from you. Besides what it sounds like when you are ordering so we stay alive or you being in pain. And on another note…" At that Athenis stepped forward to face Them and they stopped else They would have run into him. He grabbed Their hand and They realized it was the first time They actually felt how a Gek's hand was. Scaly and small with webbing in between the digits.

Athenis moved their hands till Their hand was up against his face. Their breath caught because They could see Their hand and how different it was… "This way we can support you just as you have supported us. You are fine just the way you are. You are different yes, but even if you're alien _I_ find you to be really beautiful." He ended with a flirtatious wink.

Heat crept up into Their cheeks as They sputtered in shock. Kuriou looked aghast before chattering in Gek which was probably a scold if her tone of voice was anything to go by. Athenis did an uncharacteristic cackle and waved her off. They felt something akin to shock and maybe a bit of mortification. When it seemed that They would not move Athenis tugged on Their still entwined hands and started to lead Them down the way Kuriou had been. It was strange to be holding hands with both of them. Since They weren't going to continue that line of thought, Athenis took mercy on Them and picked a topic They needed to know.

"So the suit has been repaired but a there are a few differences the main one is the life support system requires thamium 9 only now. Carbon will not suffice." At this They made a face. Great, now it was harder to make sure Their life support stayed online. Sigh…Athenis continued "The ship is fine, the only differences is this pulse drive only uses Iron and the multi-tool…it's strange the modifications are still working but the beam does seem a bit weaker. Hopefully that does not hinder anything. Here we are." At this the group finally made it to this area of the space station that seemed to be more of a factory than not. Their body felt as though a group of Vy'Keen had pummeled Them due to the walk and They found Themselves making for a chair quickly.

Athenis brought over Their new and improved suit and They could see the little chip that Corigan gave Them so They could build. They weighed the suit in Their hands before looking over at Kuriou and Athenis, Their mind going over the part of their speeches that they liked to see Them without it. They folded it to Their side and refrained from going through the struggle of putting it on. The Gek seemed to perk up at this action but said nothing. "I suppose since you want me to rest, we should all head back to the room?" Their voice was still scratchy and hoarse but…practice makes perfect right? Kuriou and Athenis nodded encouragingly and were quick to help Them. One more sol of rest should be fine.


	15. Golden Plains Becomes a Home

Gods the Brain block on this one was bad. I haven't decided on posting on AO3 so here and my tumblr is where I'm keeping it. Tumblr is Paganwanderer072 if you're curious.

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After a night's rest and Athenis essentially 'clearing' Them healthy enough They started to gather Their things. They put the new suit on and if anything it felt lighter than the one that They had prior. Their upgrades where salvaged as was what They had been carrying at that point of time. Their multi-tool was holstered on Their left thigh and seemed to be in working order. They ventured to the Fahrenheit which looked much the same way it had when They first got it. If a bit more cleaned of space dust. The Dentaalin was docked in front of Them and Jalen gave Them a brief wave before securing more cargo. Jalen…The night prior when Jalen first saw Them he ran forward and held Them close. He had been trembling and They recalled that Kuriou had said he had gone after the pirates with a vengeance. It was probably something They needed to ask Jalen but not only was he the quiet one but he tended to stay in the group if They were around or ranging when They were.

They hopped into Fahrenheit's cockpit and after running a quick check and opening a comm link to the Dentaalin They stated "Hopefully we have all learn our lesson. Don't help a freighter unless you have a death wish." They heard chattering from all three of the Gek; most were agreements and a couple of 'you better not try that again' phrases. They had to give a short bark of laughter at that. The group took off and proceeded to go to the planet They had decided before They had gotten hurt. It was closest to the star and not near the black hole.

The name of the planet was "Kokuchigashin-Digk" and looked like it had some oceans but was more of a land planet. The atmosphere was not too thick and Their readings showed that They could probably breathe on this planet though the oxygen amount in the air would simulate a high mountain range on Their body. There were a few canyons and some mountains but the land was mostly flat plains that had bright gold and dusty gray grasses blowing with the wind. The sky during the day was a soft green with yellow horizons and the night sky was no doubt orange from the nebula. All in all, it seemed to be a rather nice planet.

They landed on one of the many plains, Their ship almost seemed to be engulfed by the tall grasses. They had to laugh when the Gek got out of the Dentaalin and all They could see was the trails the group left behind. There were some trees, bulbous looking trunks with tropical vibrant green leaves spouting from the top of the trees. The ore deposits were gold, which was unfortunate since They needed Emeril for Their warp modification but it's not like They could make Emeril appear out of nowhere. There was twelve fauna for the planet and a few were easy to get. A couple of herbivores and a flock of avians flying in the thermals of this world. The group came across a ruin that was Gek, it gave Them so more detail of how the first empire thought. Pretty much that they had been the best race. Funny how all the races They have come across think like this. They wondered if Theirs were any different.

After a couple of sols trying to find all the fauna and the Gek roaming around collecting resources; They came across a strange structure. It was a cylindrical building with nothing else attached. It was situated in a small flat out cropping of plain with the end of it dropping off into a steep fall to another plain 100's of feet below. Basically it was like a terrace on a mountainside. They approached the structure cautiously and had already clicked Their miniature beacon on so the Gek could find Them. With Their multi-tool raised They came to the door. A noise sounded from the building and They saw that it was scanning Their building chip on Their right shoulder. After a moment the red light on the door turned blue and it opened. When They stepped into the room the emergency lights came on. The room had a huge cylindrical structure closest to Them something written like base transport in Gek. There was a circular device that had a vibrant blue substance swirling in its circumference and another module that seemed to be the power and relay for this base.

Clearly this is one of the habitable bases Corrigan had mentioned. The question remained. Would here be a good place to lay roots? The planet had no predators that They have found, and the weather was always pleasant. With ample water and climate farming would not be hard by any stretch. In fact, with this terrace like formation it gave plenty of room for a spacious base plus lands for farming. It was also easily defendable by land and only a bit of work to mount air defenses. Hmm…perhaps They were jumping the gun here…They would admit that this concept of having a stationary base while They traveled was a very…appealing thought.

The thundering sound of thrusters broke Them out of Their thoughts as the Dentaalin landed near the structure. Athenis was the first out and after a moment of conversing the group had all agreed this was a habitable base. The discussion on whether it should be the groups base was a longer and detailed conversation. In the end the group decided that this would be a good start. If They came across a planet that was better, then the group would simply move to that position. After Registering Their information into the main power module it became clear that a builder would be needed to assist in expanding the base and various research to improving on the plans that were already made.

Kuriou mentioned that there had been a contingent of builders on leave at the space station They had recovered at and with the new base emitting a beacon for Them to find the place again They quickly made it back to the station. In the central hub They asked around if any builders were still at the base and with fortune there was one nursing a drink in one of the far corners. After They had introduced Themselves and asked for assistance the Gek had immediately become quite interested and accepted the position. Kanas now promoted to be Their Director offered a bit of advice and said that the warp ring attached to the loading dock was finally operational again and that it would make the back and forth much easier.

The warp circle was identical to the one back at the base and after touching the side panel and the name of the planet that Their base was on showed up with a couple of strings of numbers flashed on the screen. One number was Their registration code for the Fahrenheit so They selected that option. They were worried that the Fahrenheit would be stuck at the station even though Corrigan had insisted that the ship would warp with Them. But how? It wasn't going through the ring like They were!

After a couple of moments of hesitation and debating complete with pacing; They finally stepped through the portal. Blinding light was all around Them not unlike how a warp could appear. For all intents and purposes it _was_ a warp. Before They could think of any other thoughts suddenly They were back at the base's energy room with the warp ring and could clearly see the Fahrenheit just outside the window. They ran outside to the vessel and after checking its contents They knew it warped here perfectly with everything it had held prior. Quite the feat of science…

Kuriou caught Them looking at the Fahrenheit, but thankfully any awe filled look was hidden due to Their visor. "Director Kanas arrived not long before you. He has set up a building table in the room adjacent to the power room." She said in lieu of a greeting. They thanked her and asked where Athenis and Jalen were. Apparently, they were gathering a lot of Iron which would be required to help build the base. Kanas gave Them a nod as They entered the other circular room with his station being the only thing that illuminated it. After a couple of pleasantries, he mentioned that he was working on some portable machinery that would help Them find resources and send messages and the like. But he needed some blueprints from an abandoned base to finalize the blueprints. Since the other base was not too far They decided that They had enough light of the day to grab the plans and head back.

The base was in the direction of the steep cliff past the base with a decent amount of terrain in between the two. So going on foot wasn't the quickest option. Starting up the Fahrenheit again They noted that They needed to store some more plutonium on Their person for the thrusters had used most of its fuel already. Surely where this base was They could harvest some on the way back.

The unfortunate thing was it seemed like the base was under one of the planet's shallow seas but not a long way from the shore. They landed the Fahrenheit far enough from the shore so if there was any sort of tidal force it should be alright. Though without a moon They were sure it was not even a concern, but caution should be a name of Theirs. The water was crystal clear and was a lovely aquamarine color. The old base was not far from the surface and after making sure They had enough oxygen in Their tank; submerged Themselves.

The abandoned base was like many They had encountered before, same ripped up wiring and same green masses that seemed alive oozing from the walls. They had doubted that the terminal was still functional but to Their relief it started up at Their touch. The blueprints were downloaded and needed to get back to Kanas. They swam back out of the base and admired how the light of the sun made it to where They could see for many clicks. There was not much in the way of foliage on this marine plain but in some of the shallow pools near the shores of this planet.

With that They headed back to base. Kanas took the blueprint from Them eagerly and almost with a flourish he was done. The beacon required a voltaic cell and upon further inquiry that blueprint had to be acquired by a Korvax. Preferably one that manned a science station. So it was starting to sound like They may accrue a ragtag party of the various races at this point. Athenis, though mildly upset he could not man the science station that wasn't even built yet said he was more than willing to help whatever Korvax that did show up.

They decided that They would go through the last two planets in the system and then start building on the base and designating rooms and the like. In that time Kanas should have some domestic items drawn up to be able to build and use. The group agreed and with Kuriou and Athenis staying with the Dentaalin and the base, Jalen and They would go find resources on the other planets.


	16. Traveling Through a Hole in Space

I LIIIIVE~ I want to apologize a bit because a lot has happened in the past month. I've gotten a full time job which kinda made all of my free time poof and I just had two wisdom teeth removed so there's all that too. I know this chapter is a bit short but I wanted to give you guys something since I've been MIA. What with my sickness pretty much trying to kick my ass when I'm not at work...it's not been easy. Also for the person who asked if They should play FF XV? Go for it. I...was quite impressed and I believe it to be a beautiful conclusion to a series I've played a long time. Well that is pretty much the most recent news. Enjoy and Pagan out!

* * *

Gathering data on the other two planets was an easier affair now that there was a base to head back to. The planets were Iskuru TQ220 and Lunorinkez Pedet. The first planet was pretty barren of any vegetation but had plenty of aluminum deposits and pastel colors for the ground. The other planet was desert like and all in pink hues. The only minerals of worth was gold and copper but They had plenty of both already. They headed back to Their base and stored the aluminum away. Kuriou had been working with Kanas for working out an interior and how everything was to be arranged. Granted Kuriou constantly asked for Their opinion and They appreciated the sentiment. Athenis and Jalen were doing supply runs to collect enough iron to build the base and it progress was halted by the fact there was no one to man the science station. This prompted Them to consider it time for the jump through the black hole and try to find an area of space that was in the Korvax control.

But first They wanted to build a relative foundation of Their base first. The power module and the main room that held the construction station was the overall center for the base. The landing bays for the Dentaalin and the Fahrenheit were next to the power module which was closest to the mountainous peak, and interesting to land in such a small gap to be sure.

Then going toward the terrace itself was a hallway that formed a T and to the right would be the science and weapon stations. A two story circular room. The other end of the T ran into another corridor that was T with the outermost side where the farming module was and the innermost section was another two story circular room for Their use if Kuriou had her way. The Gek group had plans to make Their rooms or room off of the construction room/foyer that was already there. All in all it seemed that things were going well. It took a couple of days to get the overall structure built, and Their dismay that windows wasn't a blueprint They had access to yet. Some basic furniture was placed and if They remember Kuriou murmurings she was trying to figure out a way to change the basic red color of the furniture so it could be more customized.

The night before They departed the system, Kanas assured Them that wherever in the universe They ended up, as long as there was a space station They could warp back to base. The main objective was to find a Korvax science officer and a Vy'keen weapons officer. Along with trying to find Emeril like before. The Gek had decided to stick around the base a bit to touch up on the base in Their absence and try to get a farming station set up so Units would start flowing into all of their coffers.

That morning, They rose early. From the quiet sounds everyone was asleep and not going to wake soon. They gathered Their gear and after checking Their suit to make sure everything was in order They proceeded to the Fahrenheit's pad. It was already in ship shape from Their maintenance of yesterday so without hesitation They hoisted Themselves in and prepared to launch. The planet They were based on was not too far away from the black hole and for a portion of time They stared at the anomaly Their thoughts running through various topics. The most important was They wondered if going through this was going to damage the ship. The gravitational pull of the black hole will have to put stress on the hull of the ship, but They were also sure that Nada wouldn't give the coordinates to a black hole that would tear most ships apart either.

After another indecisive moment They guided the Fahrenheit towards the hole. Goodbye to the Injancillia Void, and into a new section of the universe.

The first visuals after entering the hole was beams of light in a black playground. They could fill the pull and the hull did seem to creak and groan. They closed Their eyes, and hoped that it would not take long to get to the other side.

Thankfully the shaking of the ship did not last and after a strange clatter all was well again. The star system in front of Them was completely different, and a pale plum color. The ship read out that They were now in the Rourraynes Expanse and it seemed to be Gek controlled as well. Maybe Emeril was present on one of the three worlds here. There was a space station reading but They figured They would catalog the flora and fauna of the three planets first.

The first planet was called Eoffrtilobe and probably the most colorful planet They had lain eyes upon. It had vibrant red grasslands and various bright green and yellow flora. The earth landmark was a light brown with dark blue accents and the sky was a vivid blue. There were lakes on this world and mountainous and flattened plains. Quite the beautiful planet really. The temperature was quite pleasant and without storms interrupting Their work finding the fauna was not taking much time. Most of the aquatic and avian life was already done. Unfortunately this world held no Emeril and there was something They found out about Their new multi-tool that was quite a problem. It apparently needed a new component to harvest the various crystals elements could be found in. Except plutonium. They looked at the various titanium crystals and could only sigh in defeat. They needed to find that science officer.

After a couple of more sols this planet was done. The next planet was almost as beautiful as the last one. It was called Hinnduhshyua and though it was a bit colder than the other still stunning in visuals. It had violet grasslands, and taller trees that twisted around themselves, it held more canyons and less water but still had good stretches of plains as well. Most of the fauna were avian and were quite simple to catalog. This was another planet of gold and so after finding the fauna and most of the flora, They departed for the last world in the system.

This planet was far, far colder and was called Lileye-Tios Belopos and there wasn't hardly anything on this world besides flora. So it only took a couple of sols to catalog those and They went to the space station next. They sold the various piles of gold They had amassed and was quietly minding Their own business nursing a juice of some sorts when a voice hailed Them.

"My, I have heard of travelers but I have not had the honor of meeting such a one." They looked up and were taken by surprise that a Korvax was peering down at Them in a curious manner. They gestured toward the empty chair across from Them and the Korvax took the seat with a small bow to Their direction.

"I am called Syriza. I am a scientist by trade, but the Gek are not the most scientifically inclined of races." The voice was more of a feminine tone and it spoke Their language quite well and They couldn't help but gesture for the Korvax to cut its lament a bit. Was this going to be Their new scientist? The Korvax seemed perplexed at Their sudden motion, and They tried to voice Their thoughts. "You...are need of some work?" Their voice was quite hoarse and not strong by any stretch of the imagination. They did talk to the Gek back at the base but it was still a phrase here and there and not a long winded conversation. Though if Syriza joined Them...They had a feeling that just by being nearby this chatty Korvax would have to make Them talk more.

Syriza seemed to size Them up for a moment. "Are you in need of a scientist? I must admit I have been quite fascinated by your kind, as few and far between They are. If I can pursue some of my personal projects along with...studying you a bit I would not mind traveling with you or help run a base if needed." The thought of being a test subject did not sit well on various levels, and They told the Korvax as such.

Syriza waved its arms like it had not meant such a malevolent tone. "No, nothing as sinister! The Atlas has spoken of your kind and I am curious as to why your people are here. Your race must have come from somewhere and there must be a reason why the travelers are drawn to the center of the universe. The other races of this galaxy have been properly studied and as I said there is very little known about your kind. I wish...to help the ones I can. I worry about your nutritional intake and how healthy..." They stopped them at this point. It seemed it had much the same questions They had about Themselves.

"So...Sy...riza it sounds like you have much the same questions I have about myself. I have a base on a planet, but my other...colleagues do join me on some expeditions. If you want to be my science officer I would graciously accept you into my ragtag group." The Korvax's screen turned a vibrant green and it grasped both of Their hands in delight "It would be my honor! Now if I can be permitted to ask a question. What is your current objective? It seems part of it was finding a science officer but I have a notion that there is more you are searching for."

They nodded and told Syriza that They were looking for a planet with a lot of Emeril to make some upgrades for Their ship and to have a store for the element. The Korvax told Them that there was a planet not far from this star system that had such deposits.

After finishing Their drink, They asked if Syriza had a ship that needed to be retrieved. By the shake of its screen They shrugged and offered the Korvax a place on the Fahrenheit since They would need to be guided to this Emeril filled planet. With an enthusiastic nod, They headed toward the docking bay.

* * *

The star system that Syriza led Them to was Korvax held and named "Pengguolung-Numme" and it only contained a moon and two smaller sized planets in a magenta hued star system. Syriza seemed to forget which planet held the Emeril but They said mentioned that They collected information on any planets They come across so that it didn't matter. They would get to the planet eventually. Syriza seemed to quiver at the thought of what They had cataloged prior.

The duo first went to the small moon of "Isbeckolitang." it was a cold, windy planet besides the fact it held huge grasslands that almost covered the Fahrenheit with its height and it held an ample amount of water. There was a lot of aquatic life and a couple of predators around but with someone to keep Their mind tasked it was a simple affair to catalog all of the fauna on this planet. They found a strange element on this world. That came from the detritus of the predators They had to kill. It was called Mordite and from what Syriza explained the main way to get this element was by killing other life...a gruesome process.

The planet that was this moons parent was far more hostile. A highly toxic planet called "Ikugaiasu LT838." There was a fungal kind of flora present on the planet and predators that were more parasitic in nature. For obvious reason They and Syriza only stayed as long as necessary to catalog. Then went to the last planet of this system.

It was a far colder planet. With snow covering everything and the vegetation was a teal color. The Emeril was found on this planet and Their first order of business was to extract enough for Their warp reactor theta upgrade. Syriza helped with some of the mining and the following building of that component. Syriza had calmed down quite a bit from their chatty introduction and They were curious what was going through its mind. If it was even a correct term.

They knew it was sentient and attached to a hive mind so was individuality just an abstract concept for the race or was there in fact some traits that were individualized? Instead of ruminating on the question They asked it calmly over dinner.

Syriza seemed surprised at first and answered after a moment's pause. "It is true that most of my circuitry is attached to the mind of my people but what most do not know is it is something we Korvax can choose to ignore. As for individuality I believe you would have more of this trait than I would. I have heard that no one travelers is the same of mind. At least completely. A question if I may?" They nodded in agreement. "What is the first thing you remember? I mean if you have any memories that was from your life prior, that would be the most fascinating, but if you do not I'd like to hear about what you woke up to."

They stared into the fire for a moment. The first concrete memories was when They woke up on Viceriasi Abbe. They said as much and described the planet of constant sunset. They had not held any previous memories...until the glimpses of dreams They have had here and there. They also mentioned this and then briefly described what They had seen. Along with the name of Fahrenheit; Their ship. Syriza was very still as They talked and They had no doubt that nothing had quite caught the Korvax's mind on this scale before.

"So...these memories...you feel They are of home. That the monoliths that litter all of these planets has some sort of connection to your world...galaxy rather. You said that you had one of the biggest memories when you came into contact with an Atlas terminal. I believe...that the Atlas may very well be the reason for your amnesia. I just do not know the purpose of such a thing." Syriza mused softly, They felt compelled to answer "Perhaps my memories would hinder my survivability. There is no reason to assume that my world could have been destroyed...Or some personal tragedy befell me. If that is the case then there would be some sort of twisted logic to cloud my memories from me so I could continue on...Maybe I chose this..."

It was a thought They had entertained more than once...however, unpleasant the taste of it was in Their mouth. Syriza glanced over at Them. "You are not the only one...So if anything perhaps it was a worldly issue that caused your kind to leave. The easiest thing to do is to find others of your kind and compare your circumstances. To see if any have the same gap of memories or anything else They can remember that you do not...Its worth a look in any case. Travelers require some rest time in their circadian rhythms yes? I shall harvest more Emeril so when you wake, we can travel to you base. I look forward to meeting the rest of the crew." With that Syriza dusted some of the fallen snow off of them and headed off from the campfire.

They slowly got set up for bed and laid down close to the fire. Their mind still wondering about who They had been prior to all of this.


	17. Traveling With A Friend

(Here's the Chapter as Promised! Thank you all for the support!)

The morning gave light to Their surroundings, and while beautiful, They were anxious to head back to base. A concept that rang nicely in Their mind. Syriza had already stored their personal belongings when They met at the space station so They could head back without delay. The way back to base was using the Warp Ring at this star systems space station and imputing Their bases code. A simple process Syriza informs Them.

After entering the warp ring and the swirl of blue and white lights danced around Their vision They, Syriza and the Fahrenheit were back on Kokuchigashin-Digk. With its yellow and gray plains, fair weather and vibrant orange night skies. It appeared to be close to midday on this world. The acid green sky had not a hint of cloud.

They were promptly tackled to the ground after Kuriou had caught sight of Them standing in the power room. Syriza had taken a couple of steps back to ensure that they would not be caught off guard. Athenis and Jalen were quick to enter the room as well. After They had dusted Themselves off with a bland look at the Gek and realizing that said group could not see the expression They mentally waved it off.

"This is Syriza. They are our new science officer and please be kind to them. Syriza, the Gek you see here are under my supervision. The tallest is Kuriou and the green one is Athenis, with Jalen being last. Athenis has been quite curious of our scientific endeavors and will be more than willing to help you." at this Athenis nods enthusiastically and is quick to shake Syriza's hands.

"All we need is a weapons officer, which Vy'Keen would be the best choice for such a role as Jalen has no license. As for farmer...let me show you a thing." Kuriou said the last bit kinda shy, but They willfully followed her into the building room. Kanas seemed so absorbed in his work that he paid Them no mind and a part of Them were relieved that Kanas hadn't seemed bothered by the other Gek running around. As for the base there were more decorations on the walls and well placed lighting. At a turn to the left, down the hall and a right the farming module room seemed complete. There was the terminal in the front of the room with many pots and grows beds strewn about. It almost seemed this room was more organic than artificial. Like walking into a room sized forest.

"I studied a bit and took the Gekian test to get a farming license. We do not need a farmer for I am now classified as one!" Kuriou gestured broadly and in Their joy for her They hugged her tightly. Kuriou seemed surprised for a moment but returned Their gesture warmly. "I missed you all." was all They softly said and through Their suit They smelled Kuriou had released a sweet scent. "As have we, Kanas buried himself to his work to please you with his progress, Jalen has taken up combat training, Athenis has been doing some sort of research on the avians here and I have been studying. We had to keep ourselves busy...so worry could not settle in us so much. How fond we are of you. You probably need to clean up, allow me to help." They followed Kuriou back out of the room to Their chambers. There was a table with lots of pads and...paper? On it. "For your personal customization of your rooms. I will bother you with it once you're refreshed." Kuriou seemed to notice Their gaze however, covered it seemed.

Once settled into the chair near the desk They proceeded to remove Their helmet, and backpack. Then They unsealed Their suit and shouldered off the upper portion of it, leaving it to hang down past Their waist. Their multi tool was unclasped with its holster and was placed near the helmet. They ran Their hand through Their hair...it felt pretty dirty to Them.

Kuriou watched with interest. "Have you thought about looking at yourself? You mentioned a while ago that it fills you with unease at the thought of seeing yourself. But I promise you look fine. Not grotesque or anything. I may have to agree with Athenis...You are pretty...in an otherworldly kind of way." Kuriou seemed bashful at the confession and They felt Their face warm up...what feeling was this? In a burst of courage They guided Their hands up to peer at them. Their hands weren't webbed and didn't appear to look rough like some Gek or Vy'Keen could be...they also weren't made of metal either. Their digits seemed a bit long but They were used to the Gek's small hands. Their skin tone was not exactly what They imagined either. It was...a tan or maybe darker tan color. They did not really have a color to compare it too. It was not like any of the Gek colors They had seen. Their nails seemed pretty long...did Their kind cut them? They feel the need to. It may harm someone if They didn't. Though...looking at Kuriou's clear talons They weren't that sharp. "See? You are fine." Kuriou twined her hand in Theirs and Their hand made Kuriou's look so small…

"I do not know why it bothers me so much...Thank you Kuriou. Is the wash room built and operational yet?" Kuriou nodded once and once more guided Them.

* * *

After getting properly cleaned and Their suit laundered They found Themselves at the dining hall surrounded by Their associates over the meal prepared by Jalen this time. Some sort of meat from a creature of this planet. Kuriou had decided to start with Bloodsbane. A sort of plant that produces sac venom and is worth an amount. It was also easier to grow indoors and a beginner crop to produce. Kanas had held most of Their attention as he went over his new blueprints that he had made both for the base decorum and some portable machinery...like a beacon and a communication device. He had plans for an automatized mining unit and that was something useful indeed. But he needed a circuit board and it seems that Syriza needed to build plans for that. As for Syriza they seemed to be enjoying their new work. A few plans had already been made such as a voltaic cell and a couple of others They did not quite recall. Syriza had sped through the explanation of what they were doing. Syriza also seemed quite surprised when They had appeared without most of Their suit on. They were sure that when They were not looking Syriza was gazing at Them with interest.

All in all it was an eventful night. With Kuriou vowing that They were to decorate and decide how They will want Their rooms tomorrow. After that They figured They would warp back to the last star system since it was far closer to the center of the universe and continue on. They needed a weapons officer too. But They had a feeling that finding a Vy'Keen that was content without bloodshed or monotonous days would be very difficult.

The first star system after continuing Their journey was called "Oigareyagaia" and while the lavender hues of this system was very beautiful Their navigation told Them it was a Gek controlled system and They had to bite Their tongue to not curse. Jalen peered over at Them seeming to notice the tension They radiated from. "There are other systems. We can jump again?" They acknowledged the suggestion but assured Jalen that They still wanted to catalog what They could of this system regardless. "Besides...just because it is Gek controlled does not mean Vy'Keen are not present at all."

They had been surprised at the morning on Their planet when Jalen had been waiting for Them besides the Fahrenheit. He had mentioned he had some nightmares about Them going into danger and was determined to accompany Them. They did not mind the company, and Jalen was the one They could count on in a fight so it was not hard to agree.

"There seems to be a larger space station in this star system, we can save that for last. Pick a world Jalen, I do not have any particular desire to visit any one before the other." Jalen pointed Them to a planet without a moon and it was called "Energer Nezha" This planet was found to be one of the fairest of weather and lovely scenery. They could tell that Jalen seemed to like the surroundings.

It had many fields and plains of green grass and while rocky crags jutted out here and there it was mostly plains. With some lake sized water ways. There were no fauna here so it was a simple feat of collecting six way points and catalog what flora They came across. They were mindful to collect what antrium They could for Kuriou told Them it was useful in farming and also for lighting up the base and voltaic cell manufacture. This planet did not have much of the flowers. Pity. Jalen for the most part was quiet...They wondered if They could ask about his past now...or at least offer to listen if he'd like...perhaps the next moon or planet They would ask.

The next moon didn't allow much for talking. It was beyond toxic, and though it hosted quite an ecosystem They quickly had to resign Themselves for not completing it for this moon had hostile sentinels...and they were everywhere. Thank the stars for Jalen being there to watch Their back. He had a protective suit on so the toxicity would not affect him but it muffled his voice beyond comprehension. There was Emeril on this moon so after collecting a decent portion and the six way points They soon departed.

The group went to the second moon of the other undiscovered planet. This moon was a desert planet with a lot of life and minimal sentinels so though Jalen had some protection from the heat because Gek were very easy to dehydrate They could broach the subject. For a couple of sols They refrained. Cataloging the wildlife and getting covered in the red dirt of this moon was mostly what They had been doing. They did not consider Themselves a coward but They also did not want to upset Jalen either. Sigh…

* * *

The incident was not expected...but then again when are they ever? They had been traversing a valley of sorts walking through some tannish scrub when a memory surfaced. " _You think this is rough? Just wait cadets this is a park compared to the rest of this hike." They saw about twenty other beings lower in a valley, with Them standing above them with Their hands on Their waist. They realized that bark of a taunt had come from them._ At that thought They were present again and looking toward the acid green sky above Them. Jalen was shaking Their arm. "Your breathing went to being erratic. Are you well? Do you require rest?" They shook Their head no even if Their mind was processing. Cadets... cadets of what sort? They were obviously higher ranked...teaching that group even….argh who were They?!

Their knees hit the ground even as Jalen gave an alarmed yelp. Their breathing was still not as calm and steady as They would have liked. The brief vision had shaken Them; Their legs were not going to hold Their weight for a few moments. Time in this sun would be ill for them both.

With Jalen's help they both went under a small outcropping that had plenty of shade. They set Themselves down and Jalen was quick to settle nearby. "What happened?" Jalen sounded a bit irritated. "Sometimes...I get a flash of memory and my body seems to rebel against me, more often than not." They tried to explain. Jalen did not care for this answer. "What would happen if you had one of those flashbacks and were in the middle of a battle?! If you die do you know how much pain it would cause?" to say They were taken aback by the outburst was an understatement.

"I know myself and the others are a small few compared to the rest of the universe but, you do matter to us. If these visions cause so much trouble then perhaps someone should stay with you just so you are safe." "They don't happen that often...I have more fingers than times it has occurred since I woke up. While, I don't think I need protecting I cannot help that I like the sound of that offer. After traveling with you three its harder to appreciate the solitude." Jalen seemed to stew a bit before grinding out a 'fine...' A couple of moments passed before Jalen spoke. "Have...any of the others told you what has occurred in their past?" They shook Their head no for despite the company the Gek had provided They had not wanted to pry into pasts that may be...painful.

Jalen gave a weary sigh. "I know that I don't have to be obligated to tell you anything...but if me telling my miserable past helps you by reminding you to be careful then I can accept that." and here They thought that They would have to ask for such a tale.

"Gek are born more generation based that individually based. Females lay the eggs and males fertilize them and the whole spawn will hatch in the pools of water they were laid in. Even so there are instances of adults bonding with the younger generation and its the closest to a parental bond that any Gek receive."

"I had a similar bond. It was a group of five and they did their best to raise me and some others from my pool. We had a trading ship and they were expert merchants each in their own right. Us children mostly just had to stay out of trouble besides the teaching modules the group would sometimes find and barter for. It was not an exciting experience but...peaceful." At this Jalen looked away from the spot he had been boring into the ground and off into the distance. Emotion clear on his face.

"Those pirates you rescued me from and the others were vile. When they had boarded our ship those Vy'Keen bastards made us children watch as they butchered our family in...grotesque ways...I had been a prisoner for ages it seemed. All of the brethren I had grew up with had been bartered away or hunted for sport till I was all that was left. When you freed all of the prisoners and Kuriou and Athenis and I; I did not know them at all. The hope of freedom is all I needed for the moment."

"When you showed yourself to us I thought you were another Vy'Keen till Athenis said that you were a traveler. I suppose my main reason of telling you this besides that you feel like a family to me...and I will be dead before anything happens to my new family. I know you wanted a Vy'Keen weapons officer but frankly I think that is a terrible idea. All they are is monsters..."

They did not know what made Them sadder. The fact that Jalen had lost everything...or that he felt that They were that important to him. "Thank you...for sharing that. I do not know if anyone has ever cared for me as you three have. As for the Vy'keen saying that all are monsters is like saying all Gek are swindlers. There is a spectrum with all races...the good, the neutral and the bad. Do you think I take the task of finding someone trivial? When I am not there I will need to depend on this Vy'keen to assure that you and the rest will be protected if the base were comprised. In any case you are here to meet any as I do. If we both agree then that Vy'Keen cannot be so bad?"

Jalen looked like he had swallowed something fowl. "I don't...agree exactly. I do not know if this hatred of their kind will fade so easily..." They nodded "all the more for one to prove they are not a monster then? We should go. My head is clear again." At that they broke camp and continued on.

* * *

The parent planet of the desert moon was dead. There was not any flora or fauna on "Bixiangz Aldi." What was also strange is there were no way points on this world. None of the races had built anything here. When They made a temporary beacon to see if there was any outposts all Their attempts resulted in getting markers on other planets and moons in the system...not on this world. Unsettled they were quick to leave for the last planet in the system; "Yugkamsanngamb."

The world itself was pretty with red cypress looking trees and vibrant green meadows with many different kinds of wildflowers. The bright blue sky was cloudless...at least on the sol the world was experiencing now. A bit cool perhaps but compared to the temperatures They had encountered before it was not much of an issue.

The group had settled a small camp near one of the many fields of this world and They found Themselves content as They laid down on a grassy hill and appreciate the sol on this world. Jalen was in the process of cooking some sort of lunch. "Are you going to scan anything else or are you going to laze the day away?" came a jab from Jalen, They gave him a brief wave. "All of the flora is scanned and there is only two species left and there aren't any species nearby so there is not a point for me to do much at this moment. I saw an antrium field a few clicks from here...we need to gather some for Kuriou." Jalen replied with a 'lunch first.'

It was closing in on a sunset on this world when they both arrived at the Hulian Meadow as the way point declared it. The antrium flowers were swaying with the breeze and the blue sky overhead was turning pink as the sun sank into the horizon. They sat cross-legged and started to collect the flowers, Jalen did not seem as interested and started to watch the treeline for any predators They may have not scanned yet. For a moment or two They let Their mind wander to the worlds They had already visited before. They really had quite the journey so far.

When They looked down at the flowers They had picked They noticed Their hands had woven the stems together making a chain of antrium flowers which still held some of Their glow. They continued with the pattern noting how Their hands wove the stems together with a precision that spoke of experience. They wondered if it was something They had done individually or was it something Their kind did? After weaving a few more They turned it into a circlet, They placed it on Their helmet and snorted at how ridiculous They probably look. Jalen had walked over no doubt mentally questioning Their sanity. They quickly started to make another one with the intent on sharing such ridiculousness. "What are you doing? I thought we were just supposed to harvest Them?" A pity Their helmet did not show Their sly look. In a flourish They quickly laid the hastily made flower circlet on top of Jalen's head. With a clear look of utter confusion on Jalen's face They roared with laughter.

The confusion did not really leave Jalen's face but there was a trace of amusement in the way he huffed. They got up and dusted off some dirt that had clung to Their suit and started to properly harvest. With the antrium circlet still on Their helmet.

Getting to the edge of the plateau of the meadow after collecting a large portion of antrium, They noticed a spire of a ruin in the valley below. Jalen had pocketed his antrium circlet but They noticed he handled it with care. It caused Them to smile a little bit. Their's was still on Their head more for the fact They had forgot They had been wearing it.

Using Their jet pack They quickly descended into the valley with Jalen following a bit slower without one. The ruins were a scattering of of buildings with a large tower spire in the middle shaped like an obelisk with circular windows through the building. There was a ruined statue of a Gek so They assumed it was a ruin of the Gek's first empire. When the sentinels had culled them. The moving memory core of the ruins confirmed this and gave some more history of the Gek. More of how they had been chastised and had to re group.

Jalen had called for Them from one of the buildings and after walking back down the slope and into the building They noted that this building had to have been a greenhouse of some sort. Jalen was looking at some sort of aquatic plant in a planter. It was kinda like a fungal carnivorous plant pointed upward and was a dark green. They scanned the plant and was confused when it came up that it was farmable. For what purpose? Jalen took a piece of a pipe laying on the floor and poked at the plant till it split and there, right for the taking, was a glowing albumen pearl. Using the pipe the group dislodged the pearl and They were quick to put it in the inventory. Pearls such like this would fetch a better price than the sac venom of the bloodsbane.

* * *

A few hours later They had found the last of the species on this planet and had left the planet to dock at the nearby space station. Though this one seemed larger than the others They had encountered. This was confirmed when the docking bay itself was far vaster than any other They had encountered. As They were unloading Their ship to sell some elements for Units, and Jalen was looking over the shielding system; it had went offline after hit an asteroid close to the station. Not Their finest moment…

Jalen dropped his tools with a clatter and was staring off behind Them, eyes wide. They turned to look and froze as well. Behind Them a few feet away...was another Traveler.

(Sorry it was too beautiful of a cliffhanger to pass up. Sorry lovelies.)


	18. Do You Remember?

Hey Guys sorry this one took so long! I had a hell of a writer's block on this one. Hopefully that is gone for a while.

* * *

The breath They had almost exhaled froze into Their throat as it closed up. Their whole body stiffened up in shock. It looked like this traveler was experiencing a similar condition since their posture seemed tense. Their gear looked identical to Theirs and as a result They could not discern a face under the helmet, but neither could the other see Them. They stood slowly, hand hovering not too close to Their multi-tool but close enough They could draw and fire if this one was not friendly. It had crossed Their mind more than once that maybe other travelers could be hostile.

Staring at the traveler They noticed that they were doing a similar gesture, that slowly morphed into raised palms that matched their head in height. Something about the posture relaxed Them marginally and after a brief look to Jalen; motioned Their head for the other traveler to follow. They started to walk toward the resting area of the space station and after a couple of moments a pair of hesitant footfalls followed in Their wake.

They found a place that was enclosed and quickly sealed it so They could make the air breathable. This was providing of course that all travelers could breathe the same air but that was only an assumption. The other traveler did not voice a complaint, in fact they strolled up to a lounging chair and sunk into it facing the stars of this system. With a motion for Them to sit They went over. Jalen was on the other side of the room seeming to want to give the two space but not trusting enough to leave the two alone either.

"Do you understand me?" the other traveler spoke. The voice was deeper than Theirs but to what degree They were not certain. This traveler spoke a lot more if the strength of the voice was anything to go by. "Yes." They replied and mentally sighed at how hoarse They sounded.

The other traveler tilted their head and was quick to pour Them a drink. "Don't push yourself. Have you not been awake for long?" They could only shrug, They had no one to compare to. What was a long time in waking? They assumed the traveler meant when They woke on the first world. The traveler nodded "Sorry, I guess that is a hard question if time is relative huh?" The other traveler reached up and unclasped their helmet and pulled it off with a huff. The appearance that greeted Them was not like any other race They had encountered.

The individual had short golden hair cropped short to the head with a couple of scarred marks along the neck and one on the cheek. Very pale in comparison to Themselves and their eyes were a steel gray when they looked up at Them. After a moment of awkwardness and a feeling that the other traveler was waiting They hesitantly removed Theirs. The irrational fear of Them being wrong even for Their kind was a strong recurring thought in Their mind. The other looked surprised at first but seemed to notice Their ill at ease and relaxed against the chair putting their helmet to the side.

"I woke up about...35 warp jumps ago. I know that doesn't say a whole lot, but with the varied sizes of each system its the only relative one that seems to work for us travelers. With that in mind; how long have you been awake?" A brief tally took place in Their head and They replied with a confident "11." Russel seemed surprised at that. "Only 11? That's probably the lowest number I've heard from any traveler." They asked "You've met others?" Russel nodded. "About five now. Some handling this situation better than...others."

The trailing tone he had used conveyed a degree of unpleasantness and They were not going to ask about it. "What do you remember, before waking up?" They asked. For Them there was only a scattering flash of a few images and that one other voice that had not been Their own. Russel looked off back to the window that showed the lavender colored nebula surrounding this star system. "I have some of my memories and I'm sure like you, they came in bits and pieces at first and as time goes on I seem to get a better picture. Atlas waypoints are the easiest way to unlock memories but...that isn't without its danger. One of the travelers I found had become mad from visiting too many and I guess got more memories than that person could handle. Wasn't a pretty sight."

They swallowed at the thought. The atlas interface They had encountered had gave Them a memory for sure, but with the price of insanity listed...They did not think that was worth it. Russel shrugged "Those interfaces are few and far between. Once in a while should be fine, besides I think everyone agreed to that red orb we all saw in the beginning so no point in trying to seek them out or no. You'll find one if it decides you should." He tone held a bit of a darker tone and going over his words brought a few questions but They weren't going to ask. This 'Russel' had gone through more than They had. He had to have.

Russel's eyes strayed to where Jalen was going through his tablet, looking like he wasn't trying to listen. "So you've found some friends in this galaxy huh? I prefer the solitude myself." He said this with a smirk on his face, teasing clear in his tone. "They were going to be killed if I had not done anything so I had to save them. I don't regret it and they were the ones that chose to stay by my side anyway." Their tone would probably be considered chiding if anything. Russel laughed and held up his hands "Hey, I'm not judging. Just very brave of you to care about someone who can't always be around is all." Before They could answer Jalen was over to place his webbed hand on Their shoulder. "We are going to be late if we continue this." They saw that Jalen had been paying close attention and was giving Them a way out to continuing this conversation that rang...strange to Them. They nodded and stood up grabbing Their helmet and securing it in a smooth motion.

Russel seemed surprised again but was quick to recover "That's a shame you have prior engagements. I admit I'm not the best at this talking thing before all of this happened but here's a communicator that sends textual messages to a sister one. That way you at least have contact with another like you...I'm sorry what was the name? I forgot to ask earlier?"

Thankfully Their helmet made it to where he couldn't see the pained look on Their face. That was one thing that eluded Them...had since the beginning of this journey. Jalen gave Russel the most annoyed look and said with complete confidence They did not know he had "They go by Fahrenheit, and we really need to leave." Russel gave Them the communicator as he mused "Fahrenheit yeah? I will remember that one. Safe travels." and it was all that Jalen could do to pull Them out of that room.

Their mind had been in a confused state while Jalen got Them back to Their ship and when They made no effort to go for the controls Jalen easily pushed Them aside gently so he could take off. "Why...Did you say my name was Fahrenheit?" That was the easiest question to ask first They thought. Jalen did have the grace to look sheepish at first then he shrugged "I know you don't know your name and I felt that was the simplest answer while dodging that travelers question. Something...didn't seem right about that one. I'm sorry for that, I felt the urge to get you away so I did."

They could not help but agree that something did seem a bit off but as to why They did not know. Well if anything They had access to communicate with another like Them so it was not completely pointless They thought. "We still need to find an armorer so we should warp." They mentioned and after looking at the star chart the duo warped out.

* * *

The next system was called "Irgerdisblads" and had five planets in orbit. They were quite pleased that it was a Vy'Keen owned system. That should mean that They could find an armorer somewhere in this system. This system had a strange clash of green and bright orange nebulae that must be in the process of colliding. It what's the various swathes of mixing colors told Them.

The first planet the duo touched down on was called "Kukihachich." A name They knew was hard for Their language to say was a desert planet with hot temperatures but with the dark blue sky and the fuchsia and gray sand that encompassed this planet seemed cooler than some of the ones They had visited prior. Like Their first world. As They scanned flora and fauna as Jalen was looking to see if this planet had any outposts a storm kicked up blowing hot sand all over the place. The group picked up a settlement that was only a couple minutes away, They attached a climbing cord to Jalen and had him walking behind. With some of the gusts he may have tumbled away from the force otherwise.

The group went to the first building of the outpost and it seemed to be some sort of bar with various Vy'Keen and a few Gek milling about. They un-clipped Jalen from Them and went to ask for some water. Thankfully They knew enough Vy'keen to know the word for water and showing the bartender some units was enough to get Their desire known. After getting that cup They proceeded to sit near one of the gambling games that several Vy'keen were intent on playing. They knew not the stakes but it proved to be a good distraction from any thoughts of Russel and worry over the rest back at Their base. Jalen did not care for the place but with his past They really could not blame Them.

A couple of snickers caught Their attention and saw a few Vy'Keen were pointing at Them. It annoyed Them a bit that was not generally a polite thing but maybe in some weird custom the Vy'Keen did. They doubted that for the record. The door opened again and some of the pink sand rushed in as another cloaked individual stumbled inside but unlike Them had collapsed. The near by Vy'Keen were quick to shut the door again but looking at the figure they all sort of snorted and made dismissive gestures and left that being there.

As a result They got up with a mournful look at Their water before making Their way over and one of the Vy'Keen who had pointed at Them and snickered barked out a hail "Leave that one. Weak and better off dead. Disgrace to our blood. No honor to die in the storm bravely."

They ignored the suggestion and made it clear with body language that mirrored the feeling. Peering down at the individual They realized that this Vy'Keen was very, very old. Something They had never seen among the race before. The being coughed and trembled on the ground. With a look at Jalen and his sigh of exasperation helped Them maneuvered the figure to sit up and lean against the wall. The eyes fluttered but did not open and the sound of boots made Them stand up slowly and turned around.

That group of four Vy'Keen that had been talking about Them and spoke of leaving the individual alone was coming foward. Since the rest of the patrons slowly backed away and the air got tense They went to grab Their multi-tool and then stopped. They had a better idea if this became a fight. The pack leader was a brute of a Vy'Keen and towered over Them. His skin was lime green and had an impressive amount of spikes around his neck. The other three looked very built as well. "Only weak beings protect other beings. No weak beings here. Leave." He sneered out looking every part of a pretentious brat.

They reached around and unsheathed the Vy'Keen blade that They had obtained at the ruins on "Tatlehperh Atsu." The blade gave off the eerie blue light much like the ruins They had gotten it from. A few of the bystanders were whispering and gesturing at the blade in Their hands. The leader gave a snort "That blade not earned. You stole it like weak being. I will honor Hirk by killing you!" With a roar he grabbed his weapon that looked like a strange shaped ax and charged. They dodged the charge to the left and swung the blade that gave a sharp hum as it went through the air. The Vy'Keen was quick to block Their weapon and They disengaged and took a step back. With his bulk They were not a match in strength.

He went to swing to Their right and They parried and took a step back. The leader must have trained to this routine as he swung again and again and forced Them to lose ground closer to the bar. The bystanders were silent as they all watched with rapt gazes. There was not a Vy'Keen around that did not love watching a fight. When the brute went with a downward swing They held Their blade and while he was momentarily surprised by Them holding ground They quickly released the blade from the ax as he went to put more weight to break Their guard and rolled away as They landed on the floor as the brute fell with a yelp.

They rushed back to Their feet and stabbed the sword into a thigh and were quick to withdraw as the other howled with pain. They noticed offhandedly that Vy'Keen blood was purple. They went into a stance that gave Them a flash of deja vu but ignored it at the moment. The brute was swinging viciously any self discipline gone. The blade seemed to produce a hum and They felt an energy emanate from it. When the brute got close the blade gave Them a feeling, an urge to block even though there was no way They could have the force to parry. The feeling got too strong to ignore. The blade's humming grew louder and it went through the air and They got an impression that the blade was moving Their arm not the other way around. Somehow when the blade hit the ax there was enough force to crack the metal and batted it away like it weighed the amount of a feather. With a twist of Their wrist the blade reversed course and all that could be seen was a blue flash that pasted around the brute.

It left Them open to attack but the brute had halted any movement so They stepped away quickly and put up a guard. The Vy'Keen took a lurching step then purple blood started to pour from his neck. A thud as he fell to his knees, and the head just...fell off. The body then fully fell to the floor. The silence was deafening and then cheering rang throughout the place. The whole bar seemed impressed. They looked to the leaders group to see if any of them were going to fight in the leaders stead but they were quick to back away.

They were quick to sheathe the blade and return to Jalen and the figure. Jalen had a look of complete surprise and the cloaked figure seemed to be awake. "That was quite the feat to kill Grazeniq. My thanks for you defending what little honor I have left." Now They were the one that was surprised. This Vy'Keen was not only old, but feminine which considering that all They had seen of this race were masculine was shocking.

"Speak not of it. Do you require healing, old one?" They were grateful They knew that much of the language to be polite. The individual gave a big sigh and waved a hand. "What ails me the most is age Traveler. I did not have the fate of dying in battle so now I am here to wither away. My words seemingly silent among my younger kinsmen. They view such weakness as...dishonorable. They do not know that the old are wise and that the words they could speak could quell some of the young ones pain if only they listen. Matters not."

With assistance They guided the crone to Their table and she sat down with a huff. The other patrons of the bar going back to their business even with the bartender hauling the corpse away trailing purple blood across the floor. They unclasped Their helmet enough to where They could finally take a much needed drink. Jalen was still staring at Them with a conflicted look on his face and the crone finally pulled her hood down.

She had bright yellow eyes and was a more of a build like Russel the other traveler than the bold oval like heads some Vy'Keen had. Her skin tone was reddish brown with black around her eyes and had a strong chin. She had two sets of black horns arrayed like a crown on the top of her head. "My name is Ulriab, I am in search of a person who does not mind dangerous situations. Would a traveler like yourself be one?"

They shrugged, They would rather not be in a dangerous place but it seemed that this universe liked Them to be in such places. "Why?" A simple question They knew the word for. "Ah, My daughter's son has gotten himself in quite the amount of trouble I hear. There is a city on a fellow planet he was last seen at and I was going to go there but I crash landed on this ship. I was never one for space travel, and the Gek have strange control panels in their ships." They took another drink "Does not sound bad." They replied, and Ulriab gave Them an amused glance. "Its the rumors of what happened to him that have me cautious. May I ask for a lift to that planet?"

* * *

They nodded. It would be a bit of a fit in the Fahrenheit but not bad enough to where They could not pilot the vessel. Ulriab clasped her hands together in delight. "Well enough! Can we leave right away?"

After departure Ulriab guided Them to a planet where it constantly rained and was more of a swamp of a planet than anything. It was a fairly chilly planet named "Guginaudsy Eodgu." It had a few storms that dropped the temperature down to 89.6 C but those were few and far between. The grasses were a mixture of green and pink and there were forests and plains throughout this planet it seemed. No above ground bodies of water though. The sky was bright orange and reminded Them of Their home base's world. They really needed to check on Kuriou and the others after this ordeal with Ulriab was done.

The small town that Ulriab mentioned was bigger than any outpost They had ever been on but not quite the size of a space station. Maybe around 50,000 beings living there? Maybe a little less? They landed the Fahrenheit down on a massive docking bay and had to pay Units to stay for a few hours. Which considering the amount of ships that were trying to get a place and had to land elsewhere, the price was rather cheap.

Ulriab guided Jalen and Them to an eerily similar bar that They had met her at. Ulriab was asking something of the bartender and They felt Jalen tug on Their suit. They turned to look at Jalen and he was looking up at Them. "I have a bad feeling about all of this. Do we have to help her find her bloodkin? Surely another Vy'Keen would be able to assist rather than us. We still have not found an armorer." They sighed "I cannot leave this as is. I would always think 'what happened to her? And other such things. I do not plan to keep her with us but I do not want to just leave her to whatever fate she has." Their voice cracked a couple of times but did not seem so raspy as before. Progress no matter how little was still progress.

Ulriab came back and informed Them it seemed that it may take a while to find her kin so if They wanted to do anything else on the planet now would be the time for it. They gave her Fahrenheit's communicator code so she could leave a message for Them. In the meanwhile They were going to record the flora and the fauna for this world.

* * *

It had been seven sols since They last left Ulriab at that town and They made sure to keep more or less a simple pulse jump away in case she needed to leave in a hurry. Cataloging the fauna was easier at this world for the Vy'Keen here were actively hunting for some sort of festival and almost all of the species were present at the camp the hunters had made northwest of the city.

The flora was not hard either since most of the hunters went through the densely forested areas and They were allowed to tag along. They took notice of the Vy'Keen blade in Their possession, and there must be a greater meaning to the blade for these Vy'Keen were respectful. They gave Them a broad leeway in terms of their territory. Jalen was not pleased by the company which They could not fault him. With how these Vy'Keen prepared the meat for dinner was probably enough to remind him of those pirates. So most of the time Jalen was with the ship in case of Ulriab contacting Them.

Ulriab's message was short but told Them where she was located in the city so after a brief parting with the hunters They plotted a course and in two hours was able to meet up with Ulriab. The grave look on her face told Them that whatever danger her kin was rumored to be in was probably true.

"He owed quite a few debts from some of the Unit lenders of this world. As punishment for not being able to pay them back; they have taken him to a desolate planet where a monster that is larger than an observatory is found with only a gun and some sparse rations. Please, Traveler if you could try to save him from his plight then, we would be indebted to you."

While They were not keen on fighting a monster the desperate look on Ulriab's face was all it took for Them to become determined to help her.


	19. A Note

Hey guys I know its been quite a while and I wish I could whip up a new chapter but...well things have been interesting. I know the statement 'life happens' is a common one and I these past few months a lot of life has happened, and death too. I had a friend in the hospital in July and she passed away in august and just this Saturday I was at her funeral. I've gone through so much emotional roller coaster that some days are good ones and some days are pits of depression.

But something about this kinda made me realize that I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and there's a lot of original content I really want to make. So for me to spend more time on my original story, I don't have the time for this story anymore. And I am sad about that, truly. I love the character Fahrenheit I've built up and the NPC's: Kuriou, Athenis and Jalen and the others. Who knows maybe I can fit their characters in my main story as a homage to the beginnings of their characters and a nod to you; the readers that give me the drive to write in the first place.

But I didn't want to just abandon this story without a word. I didn't want anyone thinking at any point 'I wonder what happened that stopped them from writing.' I have with some of the stories I adore on this site. I am alright and I am thankful to those who read this fic. My tumblr is Paganwanderer to any that want to follow me there, I'm sure the occasional screen shot of NMS will appear from time to time. Also I won't delete this. Doesn't seem right to do so.

Night Y'all.


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